Two Worlds, Two Ninja
by Synica
Summary: After the final fight to get Sasuke back, Naruto is trasported to the dying world of Sylvarant when he took a jutsu intended for Sasuke. NarutoTales of Symphonia Crossover. Eventual NarutoxSheena, LloydxColette, GenisxPresea & Zelosxhis hunnies. Closed.
1. My Closest Friend

**A/N:** Well, this is my new fic I said I was going to work on. I'm transporting Naruto to the world of Sylvarant in Tales of Symphonia This is going to be an eventual Naruto x Sheena fic. The Naruto in this fic is from several years after the start of part two, making him almost 19, which is the same age as Sheena. This first chapter is really just an introductory chapter, and as such, it will contain minimum detail up until the battle where Naruto is transferred to Sylvarant. In this fic, the people of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla will speak Japanese, as the game was first released in Japan, meaning they 'naturally' spoke Japanese. Also, the world of Naruto was never truly given a name, and as such, I'm going to have to make up a name. In this fic, I dub the world of Naruto: Gaia. And if you're going to ask for any background info on Tales of Symphonia in response to this chapter, I'll strangle you for not reading the A/N of the second chapter. So, for those of you who are too lazy to do it, let me bring that part of the A/N forward a chapter and put it here: Also, I'm not going to explain the story line of Tales of Symphonia, nor am I going to describe how things work or why things exist in the game. You want answers? Go and find them yourselves. I don't have time to write out a 10000000000000 word fic just to explain why things are in the game before I start this fic.

For those of you who have played the game all the way though, I'm not going to spoil the big secret right at the start, so I'm going to have Dirk give Naruto an incomplete background to Sylvarant.

**SPOILER WARNING:** For those of you who don't want the story line of Tales of Symphonia completely laid out on the table so to speak; do not read this, ok? I'm going to cover the entire story and beyond, meaning this is going to be one **hell** of a long fic. After all, if the game was big enough to require two GC disks, it would be big, right? If you're wondering where I got the name of the fic from, it's a slight twist of a quote from the game. Please forgive me if I don't follow the major parts of the ToS script to the letter, but I'm doing it off memory alone, so bare with me. If I stuff it up badly enough, I'll play through the game again and refresh my memory. To make it somewhat fairer and not make Naruto's strength equivalent to an lvl 80 or so character when he gets to Sylvarant, I'm going to use part of the story line to adjust him so he's around level 20 or so until he leaves the world. When Naruto first meets Lloyd, he's obviously going to be somewhat out of and slowly get back to his 'normal' self. Most people would be completely dazed if it happened to them, so it's not that unbelievable. And don't worry, there is ramen in this world, and it's an official recipe in game.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or Tales of Symphonia, their characters, music or anything about them. Last I checked, I wasn't making money off these pieces of literature referred to as 'fics', so I've got that covered too…

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU/SPELL..."

**Thanks to my beta, Kyuubi no yoko 9.**

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Two Worlds, Two Ninja:

Chapter Zero:

My Closest Friend:

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**Prologue:**

_Once upon a time there existed a giant tree that  
was the source of all mana. A war, however, caused  
this tree to wither away, and a hero's life was  
sacrificed in order to take its place. Grieving  
over the loss, the goddess disappeared unto the  
heavens. The goddess left the angels with the  
edict: "You must wake me, for if I should sleep,  
the world shall be destroyed." The angels bore  
the Chosen One, who headed towards the tower that  
reached up unto the heavens. And that marked the  
beginning of the regeneration of the world._

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**Several Years After Naruto's Return:**

Almost as soon as Naruto had come back from his training with Jiraiya, he had been deployed to recapture Sasuke and bring him back to Konoha. That had been a massive failure, despite the fact they had converted a member of the Roots extremist group in ANBU by the name of Sai to their side. Not long after, they had been redeployed, managing to injure Orochimaru enough to cause him to transfer again. That had been their last resort, so Naruto had kept Sasuke busy while Kakashi, Sakura and Sai managed to defeat Orochimaru. Luckily for Orochimaru, his right hand man had been present. Orochimaru transferred into Kabuto's body, giving him another three years to keep Sasuke safe. The new Team Seven trained for the next two and a half years, both Naruto and Sakura progressing to the rank of Jounin, and all of them itching to get Sasuke back. After the two and a half years, they had a reliable lead to Orochimaru's current hideout in the Sea Country. It was now or never. They just hoped they had the strength to do what they needed to do…

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**A Week Later, Sea Country:**

Team Seven had been very careful to mask their presence, hoping to catch Orochimaru and Sasuke off guard. However, they were shocked to see both of their targets standing out the front, waiting for them. Orochimaru chuckled.

"I suppose you're wondering why we know you were here? It's quite simple really. I need pieces to become my arms and legs for me. I also need others to be my eyes and ears in other places. I knew you were coming, what I did not expect was that you would get here so soon. I must say, I'm somewhat impressed."

Naruto looked at Sasuke, his eyes full of hope.

"Sasuke, are you seriously going to let him take over your body?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto emotionlessly.

"If that's what I need to do to get the power necessary complete my revenge, then so be it. However, you have something I want, Naruto."

Naruto's eyes widened as Sasuke drew his sword and reappeared behind Naruto.

"I want your life. By killing you, my closest friend, I can get even more power."

Sakura looked on in horror as her crush talked about taking his 'best friend's' life for power so casually.

"Sasuke-Kun, how could you say that? What power could you possibly get from killing Naruto?"

Kakashi sighed and shook his head in shame.

"The Mangekyou Sharingan…"

Sasuke nodded slightly.

"Correct. By killing my closest friend, I will gain our family's version of the Mangekyou Sharingan. Only then can I face Itachi equally."

From there, an all out battle ensued. Like last time, Naruto was left to deal with Sasuke while the other three dealt with Orochimaru. Orochimaru seemed to be just able to hold his own against the two Jounin and the ANBU, but managed to deal with them. He stood over their unconscious bodies, far to weary to finish the job. He looked over to see his apprentice bringing his match to a close. Orochimaru smirked as Sasuke brought his Kusanagi straight towards Naruto's neck for the final blow. Orochimaru was unaware that Kakashi was watching the match, and had been preparing his own Mangekyou Sharingan to get rid of Sasuke. Right now, Naruto's life was more important than Sasuke's. Kakashi activated his second Doujutsu, aiming it at Sasuke. What he didn't expect was for Naruto to take the attack for Sasuke, pushing him out of the way before the temporary dimensional gateway shut again, taking Naruto with it to wherever it led to. Everyone froze for several moments, trying to process what had happened before Sakura screamed out, tears welling in her eyes.

"NARUTO!"

Sasuke turned to Kakashi's prone form, his eyes full of hate and anger.

"You bastard! I would have gotten the Mangekyou Sharingan if it wasn't for you! Shi-ne!"

Sasuke charged forward, but Orochimaru stopped him.

"Let me go!"

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.

"There are reinforcements coming. We will not survive more of them. We are leaving and now. You have no say in the matter."

Sasuke reluctantly submitted, sending one last glare at Kakashi.

"The next time we meet, you're dead."

With that, their targets vanished, while they were in no condition to pursue them. Sakura wept openly for her lost comrade, while Kakashi was completely lost in thought, cursing himself for not realising that that was something Naruto would have done without a second thought. They could only pray that he was alive and well wherever he was…

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**With Naruto:**

After Kakashi's jutsu had taken effect on him, Naruto was sucked into some sort of hole that had appeared in front of him. He tumbled through some sort of tunnel that one would normally associate with a hallucination at frightening speeds, the entrance he had come from was now no longer in sight. Naruto saw up ahead that the passage way split off in several directions. Not caring which way he took at the moment, he tried to aim for the right fork. At the next junction, he took a left. This process kept up for the better part of one minute before Naruto saw there were no more choices in passageways, but an exit. He blasted out of the tunnel and into a forest, smashing through trees and kicking up a massive cloud of dirt that could bee seen from miles away. Once Naruto had come to a complete stop, he slowly got to his feet, rubbing his injured head.

"Ite…"

Naruto looked up as he heard the soft pattering of paw prints nearby to see a white and green … Thing that looked like an overgrown dog that had been one of Orochimaru's experiments that had gone horribly wrong. The creature came up to him and sniffed him before backing away, clearly scared. Naruto raised an eyebrow, clearly unsure of what to do. He was saved however, when a rather short tanned man with brown hair and a bushy beared came up to him.

"Ya alright there, lad?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Although he'd never heard this accent before, he obviously spoke Japanese.

"Yeah, I'm fine thanks…"

Naruto got up and winced at the jab of pain from a rather sharp piece of bark that was sticking in his side. The short man's eyes narrowed as Naruto grabbed the bark and ripped it out, tossing it away. The small man looked up at Naruto in concern.

"Ya can be brave all ye want, but that's a serious wound."

Naruto grimaced as steam began rising off the wound, and the man looked at him in surprise.

"I know f'r a fact tha' you didn't use a spell t' do tha', lad."

Naruto's eyebrow rose.

"Spell?"

The man looked up at Naruto in a look that said 'you're half mad'.

"Spells, lad. Ye use mana t do things like shoot fireballs, heal y'rself, and even some people can return people t' life."

Naruto's eyes widened in recognition.

"Oh, you mean jutsus!"

The dwarf sighed.

"Yer not from around here, are ye?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"Heh heh… Not really…"

The dwarf extended his stubby hand in greeting.

"I'm Dirk. Who might you be?"

Naruto took Dirks hand and almost gasped when the dwarf practically crushed his hand. He did gasp out his name though.

"Uzumaki Naruto…"

Dirk's facial features twisted into a calculative gaze.

"Somehow, I doubt yer from this world…"

Naruto's eyes widened at that remark.

"Why do you say that?"

Dirk sighed and turned around back the way he had come, motioning for Naruto to follow.

"Long story. Might as well discuss it while we have something to eat and drink."

Naruto followed Dirk and the creature back through the woods until they arrived at a small building set in a small clearing with a small stream tricking passed it. Naruto noticed that a path down the side of the house led to a grave, but did not pry about who rested there. Dirk opened the front door and walked inside. It was fairly dark, despite the fact it was full daylight outside. There were several hanging pot plants, as well as a raised wooden platform passed the dirt entrance. Naruto began to take off his shoes out of habit when Dirk stopped him.

"Why're ya taken off yer shoes, lad?"

Naruto looked at him as if he'd grown another head.

"We always do it on my world when we enter a building…"

Dirk shook his head as he walked over to the stove and checked on a pot that was boiling with something that smelled somewhat decent.

"If ye take yer shoes off, you'll regret it."

Naruto looked at Dirk in incomprehension before looking at the floorboards. They may be well put together, but they had not been sanded, and as such, walking barefoot here would be a very bad idea. Naruto put his sandals back on and stepped up onto the wooden platform. Dirk waved him to the table in the far corner near the stairs. Naruto took one of the three seats there. Dirk grabbed a glass and turned on a rather crude faucet, filling the cup with water. He shut it off and handed it to Naruto, who gladly gulped it down. Dirk leaned back against the stove as he looked at his visitor.

"I guess you should tell me how Tethe'alla is doin…"

Naruto looked at Dirk in incomprehension.

"Tethe… Alla?"

Dirk looked at Naruto that clearly told Naruto that he thought Naruto was brain dead.

"Tethe'alla. It's a long story, but ye say you've never 'eard of it?"

Naruto nodded, making Dirk shake his head in amazement.

"Unbelievable… There are other worlds out there…"

The pot with the food in it started boiling over, so Dirk pulled it off and started ladling it onto two plates. He placed the pot on the bench before bringing the plates over to the table, giving one to Naruto and one for himself. Dirk immediately started digging in, but noticed that Naruto looked extremely downcast and had not so much as touched his food.

"Ya alright, Naruto?"

Naruto sighed and began picking at his food.

"Just before I got here, I was fighting to save my best friend from a guy called Orochimaru… My friend was about to stab me through the neck with his sword when my Sensei used a jutsu to try and send Sasuke to a different dimension, but I took the attack for him."

Dirk put his fork down and looked at Naruto.

"And ye say yer best friend tried to stab you through the neck with his sword? I don't know what the people of yer world classify as 'friends', but here, we call them enemies."

Naruto shot Dirk a look that would make flowers wilt before regaining control of his emotions.

"It's a long story..."

Dirk nodded and took another forkful of the stew before talking again.

"Seems we both have a long story to tell… Want to go first?"

Naruto nodded and started telling Dirk about his world, the countries, the hidden villages and the wars that if they were not already happening were so close to happening that people kept in a constant state of alert. When Naruto got to talking about the Kages, he inevitably ended up talking about the Yondaime.

"The Yondaime was supposedly a really strong guy. Apparently the strongest man who ever lived."

Dirk raised an eyebrow at this.

"Judging by the timeframe yer given me, he should still be alive. Why're ye talken about him in a passed tense?"

Naruto lowered his head to the ground. This was obviously a very touchy subject for the blond.

"Nearly 19 years ago, the Yondaime was forced to sacrifice his life to save the village from the king of demons… The Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Dirk's eyebrows shot up.

"King of demons? No mortal man could do tha', even in our world…"

Naruto sighed.

"You're right. No man could kill him. But he invented a suicidal jutsu that would give him the power of someone who did."

"An who would tha be?"

"Shinigami."

Dirk spluttered and coughed. Naruto looked up at him as dirk managed to catch his breath.

"Wha did you say lad, I coulda sworn you said Shinigami."

"I did."

Dirk raised an eyebrow again as he tried to see if Naruto was lying. The pain, anguish and sorrow was all the convincing he needed.

"Shinigami is referred to briefly in a book I read long, long ago. Shinigami, the god of death and torturer of souls…"

Naruto nodded a he continued his explanation.

"Yondaime summoned Shinigami, who took both the Kyuubi's and his own souls as compensation. If he had tried to seal it in himself, the Kyuubi would have just been released back upon the world, so he sealed it inside a newborn child. Me."

Dirk sat back in his chair and whistled.

"If I didn't see the look in yer eyes, I would have said that'd make a nice story…"

Naruto looked up to see that Dirk was not running away screaming or trying to kill him. Dirk sighed and looked out the window.

"I suppose ye want to know the story of this world, right?"

Naruto nodded, thankful that the spotlight was now off him. Dirk sighed, thinking about where to begin.

"Like how liven things in yeh world rely on chakra, the entire world here relies on mana. I wouldn't be surprised if they were the same thing. However, our would is constantly losen' mana. Every few generations, a special human called a 'chosen' is born. This chosen must break the seals and then climb the stairway to heaven to bring us out of our current slump. Apparently, the chosen was supposed to begin her first trial today…"

Naruto had seen many things that the majority of people in his world thought didn't exist, so this really wasn't that much of a surprise, apart from the fact that he was on a planet that he had no idea existed up until almost an hour or two ago. By now, the sun was just beginning to set when Naruto heard footsteps outside. Both of them looked up as the door opened to reveal a brown haired boy in an incredibly ugly red coat of some description. He waved at his dad.

"Hey dad, I-"

The boy stopped as he saw the other occupant of the room.

"Who're you?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow but stood up and offered his hand.

"Uzumaki Naruto. What about you?"

The boy took Naruto's hand. Although his hand shake was strong, it wasn't bone crushing like his 'dads'.

"Lloyd Irving."

Naruto noticed something on Lloyd's right hand. Lloyd winced when he saw his guest's choice of clothing.

"Man, that orange jumpsuit really hurts the eyes. And the green jacket doesn't go with it at all."

Naruto snorted.

"You can say the same for that red coat of yours."

Lloyd flared up, his ego wounded.

"What did you say?"

Naruto without thinking started arguing, which was completely unlike his usual self.

"I said red coat is way worse than my choice of clothing! And this jacket is standard issue to Jounin!"

Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

"Jounin? What's that?"

Naruto sweat dropped. Explaining this story to every single person was going to be a complete pain in the ass.

"Jounin is the third highest ninja rank of a village behind ANBU and Kage."

Lloyd looked stupefied.

"There aren't any villages of 'ninja' around here…"

Dirk sighed and looked at Lloyd.

"Tha's right. But he's not from around here."

Lloyd looked excited.

"Really? Where're you from then? Across the sea?"

Naruto sweat dropped again, but Dirk seemed unphased by it. Dirk looked at Naruto, who shook his head. Dirk nodded and went back to his work. Naruto looked at Lloyd and sighed, shaking his head.

"I'll tell you one day, not now though."

Lloyd nodded, seeing the previously energetic blond suddenly lose his energy at the mention of his home. In one of Lloyd's rare moments of intelligence, he decided not to push it. He turned back to his dad.

"Hey dad, can you make me a key crest?"

Dirk turned to face his son, a stern look in his eyes.

"Why d' ye need a key crest all of a sudden?"

"I met someone today who had an exshpere without a keycrest. An exphere without a keycrest is dangerous right? OR don't tell me it's too late once it's attached to the skin, right?"

Dirk shook his head.

"Nah, not at all. However, removen an Exsphere without a key crest is dangerous, so just make an accessory out of inhibitor ore and attach it."

"So, it'll be alright if we do that, huh? Well, could you make me a bracelet then?"

"Just a moment. This person yeh saw with an Exsphere, who was it?"

Lloyd seemed to stumble with his story. Practice told Naruto he was trying to cover something up, but stayed out of it.

"Oh, eh, I met a travelling mercenary with a keycrestless Exphere. He said he got it off a Desian."

"Baloney! Exspheres are only made in human ranches, and if he got it off a Desian, it'd already have a keycrest on it. Dwarven Vow Number 2: Lying is the first step down the path to thievery. Tell me the truth, why do you need it?"

"Well, I met someone today at the ranch-"

"YOU WENT TO THE RANCH?"

Naruto recoiled in surprise at Dirk's outburst. He'd seemed like such a level headed guy up until now. Lloyd seemed to recoil as well.

"I'm… I'm sorry! A bunch of stuff happened, and I-"

"Yeh didn't let them see yer Exsphere, did yeh?"

"No. I took care of the ones who did. Why is this thing so important anyway?"

"It was your mother's keepsake."

"My mothers…"

"The Desians killed yer mother for it."

"Wha… What?"

Naruto decided that this was a family issue, and he didn't need to hear it. He stepped quietly outside and was surprised to see three other people there, listening in. A young girl with long blonde hair and cerulean eyes, a woman with short cropped light blue hair and a shorter boy that looked much like the older female as well as that weird animal from before. They looked at Naruto in surprise. The shortest one with spiky blue hair stared at him.

"Who're you and what are you doing in Lloyd's house?"

Naruto looked at him deadpanned.

"Why are you listening in on their conversation?"

The smaller one had no answer to that. Inside, things were getting loud enough for them to hear outside.

"WHAT? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you'd have gone off and tried to take revenge on the Desians if I'd have told yeh earlier."

Naruto winced at that, which only the elder female noticed in the dim light.

"But still…"

"Lloyd, just leave the rest to Colette."

"Fine… Will you make me the key crest?"

"Have you heard nothing of what I've said?"

"You can't just expect me to stand here now that I know the Desians killed my mother!"

Naruto heard the sound of bone hitting flesh.

"Ugh! You don't have to hit me!"

The door came flying open, Lloyd in tears until he saw the four people there, along with his pet.

"Let me guess. You heard all of that just now."

It was a statement, not a question. Naruto nodded.

"By how loud it was, it was impossible not to…"

Lloyd looked hurt for a moment while the younger blue haired boy spun around, anger covering his face.

"What did you say? I bet you don't know what it's like to lose a parent!"

Naruto recoiled violently as if he'd been slapped, making everyone present gasp. The elder female looked sternly at the youngest boy.

"Judging from that reaction, he knows more about not having a family member than you do Genis. Apologise."

"But sis-"

"NOW, Genis."

Genis looked at Naruto, who was trying to rein in his emotions.

"Sorry…"

Naruto shook his head.

"Whatever…"

Naruto turned around and much to everyone's amazement, jumped from the ground up onto the roof of the two story house. Naruto cursed loudly, much to everyone's surprise.

"Why won't my chakra gather properly? It's like something's stopping me…"

Genis turned to his elder sister.

"Raine, what's chakra? And how did he do that?"

Raine's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not sure, Genis. I know he used mana to aid that jump, but I've never seen it used like that."

Raine was cut off when she felt a massive source of mana coming from the boy.

"Suiton: Suiyuudan no Jutsu!"

The others gasped as the water of the creek stared rising, turning into a moderate sized dragon that thrashed around wildly before dissipating, the water dropping back to earth. They heard the boy cursing again.

"The hell? I put enough chakra into that to cover this entire clearing! What the hell is happening?"

Raine gasped at the boy's ramblings.

"Enough to cover this entire clearing? Who is he?"

Lloyd looked at Raine, his eyes now dried of tears.

"He said he's from a ninja village or something…"

The younger girl looked at Lloyd with stars in her eyes, obviously off with the fairies.

"Ninja Village? They must be some kind of super humans!"

Everyone sweat dropped.

"I don't think they're super humans, Colette…"

Everyone gasped as Naruto jumped off the roof and landed without any broken bones or even being winded. He stood up and looked at them dead panned.

"Are you telling me you guys can't do that?"

They nodded slowly. Naruto growled in frustration and turned away, the moonlight giving his normally sun kissed blond hair a silvery touch.

"I'm going for a walk. I need to try and sort this out."

Naruto started walking away but stopped as Raine called out to him.

"Wait! We don't even know your name!"

Naruto turned back around.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto walked out of the clearings to try and clear his mind. Right now, all he really cared about was getting back home and going for another attempt to bring Sasuke back. He really needed to get back in contact with them, but had no idea how to do so. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He bit his hand and formed the hand seals, slamming his palm on the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

From the small puff of smoke came a familiar orange frog in a blue Gi.

"What do you want Naruto? If you want to play, give me a snack!"

Naruto was very tempted to boot the frog back to their world.

"I don't have time to play. Has there been word from Ero-Sennin?"

Gamakichi looked up at Naruto.

"What do you mean?"

Naruto sighed as he sunk to the ground.

"We're obviously no longer on our world. You can tell, right?"

Gamakichi looked around and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yeah… How'd you get here?"

Naruto looked up at the sky as he gave a brief recount of how he'd gotten here.

"-And then Kakashi-Sensei used his second Doujutsu on Sasuke. I wasn't about to let him take it, so I took the jutsu for him, which is how I ended up here."

Gamakichi snorted and looked around.

"Fine mess you've gotten yourself into there, Naru-"

Naruto clapped a hand over Gamakichi's mouth and looked up.

"You guys shouldn't try and sneak up on a ninja with stealth. Any decent ninja could have heard you a mile away."

There was cursing as they came out of the bushes, looking somewhat shocked at the frog. Lloyd pointed at it.

"What is with that frog? Why is it orange?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"It's a ninfrog."

Lloyd snorted in contempt at it.

"That thing? A ninja frog? Yeah right."

Naruto smiled as he pulled his hand away from Gamakichi's mouth. The frog immediately went on the offensive.

"What'd you say, punk? You'd better not disrespect amphibians! Bleh!"

Gamakichi stuck out his tongue for effect. Everyone just stood there, trying to comprehend the fact that the frog had not only just talked, but insulted Lloyd.

"Did that frog… Just talk? And insult me to?"

Genis nodded.

"Yeah. The frog just chewed you out, Lloyd."

Colette looked completely grossed out, while Raine had a very dangerous look in her eyes as she stared at the frog. Genis groaned.

"Oh no… Not again… Naruto, if you want that frog to live, I suggest making it get out of here very soon…"

"FASCINATING!"

Everyone present sweat dropped as Raine shivering with anticipation.

"I must study it!"

Gamakichi glared angrily at Raine.

"Oi! I'm not some test subject! Back off, you crazy woman!"

Raine charged in, while Gamakichi started hopping away.

"Come back! I absolutely must study you!"

Naruto sighed as he got back up.

"Now how am I supposed to contact Ero-Sennin or Tsunade-Obaachan…"

Colette looked at Naruto in confusion, her head tilted to the side.

"Perverted Hermit? Grandma Tsunade? Are they friends of yours?"

Naruto nodded and leaned his back against the tree.

"Ero-Sennin is a white haired old super pervert and is the author of the most disgusting series of books you'll ever read."

Colette was apparently completely innocent, as she didn't get the hint.

"I'm sure they're not so bad…"

Naruto looked at her dead panned.

"They fall under the genre of Hentai."

Colette paled while both Lloyd and Genis choked. Naruto looked up at the star filled sky through the trees.

"He's a pervert through and through, but he's a great guy once you get passed all that."

Colette smiled while Genis wasn't so sure. Lloyd seemed to remember something and looked back at Naruto.

"And who's this Tsunade?"

Naruto smiled as he thought of her.

"She's the same age as Ero-Sennin. She's got a severe gambling problem and drinks far too much sake for her own good. She uses a jutsu or spell as you call it to appear as old as 20. Apart from that, she's the best medic our world has ever had and a very caring woman. She's the Godaime Hokage, the fifth leader of our village and the closest thing to a mother I ever had."

Colette smiled and clasped her hands in front of her.

"She sounds like a really nice person…"

Naruto chuckled.

"That is, until you get on her bad side and she punches you 100 meters away through several stone walls."

All three of the others sweat dropped. Lloyd didn't believe it though.

"No one has that kind of strength…"

Naruto nodded.

"No one has that much natural strength, but she uses chakra to super power her attacks. I remember the time she used a single finger to create a chasm when I first met her…"

Genis and Lloyd were gob smacked.

"No way…"

Colette smiled.

"Wow, she must be really strong."

Naruto was starting to get the idea that Colette was far too 'pure' for her own good; pure to the point where 'naïve' was far too subtle a word to use when describing her. Naruto looked around as Gamakichi came back, panting.

"Naruto, that woman is crazy! I'm getting out of here! Ja!"

"Wait-"

Before Naruto could finish, Gamakichi was surrounded in a puff of smoke. When it disappeared, he was no longer there. By now, the others were starting to get the point that Naruto's home was very, very different to theirs. Naruto groaned as he slapped his forehead.

"Those frogs are annoying sometimes… Then again, so are most summons…"

Genis's eyes widened in shock.

"Did you just say summons?"

Naruto nodded, seeing the look of recognition flash across Naruto's face.

"You know about them?"

Genis nodded slowly.

"We have summons in our world too…"

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Like what? What species can you guys summon?"

Genis looked at Naruto in confusion.

"Uh… We don't summon animals… There are things called Summon Spirits which control the elements. For example, Gnome, the summon spirit of Earth controls gravity."

Naruto looked at Genis like he was mad.

"A summon? Control the force of gravity? Not even one of the nine Demon Lords could do that."

Colette's eyes widened at the word.

"Demon Lords?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Are you saying you've never heard of demons?"

Colette shook her head.

"That's not it… There are demons in this world, but none of them are very strong."

Naruto scratched his head, trying to make sense of this.

"That's strange… In our world, Demons were very powerful, especially the nine demon lords…"

Colette tilted her head to the side.

"As strong as Angels?"

Naruto snorted in contempt.

"There's no such thing as angels."

Colette gasped while Genis raised an eyebrow.

"I guess the angel we saw today when Colette received the oracle was just a figment of our imaginations…"

Naruto looked at Genis.

"I'll believe in demons before I believe in angels."

Colette gasped again and her voice took on a slightly more hostile tone.

"How can you believe in demons? They do nothing but torture and kill! The Goddess Martel would never approve of devil worshipping!"

Naruto had to keep from bursting into laughter as he looked at Colette.

"When I said I believe in demons, it's because I've seen two and fought one of the nine demon lords in my time and the other one of them actually helped me when I was for all intents and purposes, dead. I've never seen an angel either. But just because I've seen one and not the other does not mean I would worship them. I'd rather see them dead."

The other three stared at Naruto who shook his head and sighed.

"Maybe you guys will understand one day that the lines between good and evil are not like black and white…"

Naruto started walking away, before he turned back to Lloyd.

"Lloyd, would you mind if I stayed here for the night? I can sleep outside if you want."

Lloyd nodded slowly.

"Sure thing…"

Naruto really hated being depressed like this, but these kids had no idea what 'tact' meant and blunt statements about this subject brought out his temper. He jumped up onto the roof of Lloyd's house again, using up four times as much chakra as he normally would have. He summoned a frog again, calling to Gamakichi. When he appeared, he looked around fearfully.

"Naruto, where's that woman? If she's around, I'm going home."

Naruto sighed and sat down.

"Gamakichi, I want you to do something for me."

Gamakichi held out his webbed hand and made a beckoning motion.

"Give me a snack."

Naruto scowled at Gamakichi.

"This is no time for playing, Gamakichi. When Ero-Sennin summons you, tell him I'm alive and well and ask him to try and help me find a way back to our world, ok?"

Gamakichi grumbled.

"Since when did amphibians become messengers…"

Gamakichi poofed out of existence just as Naruto heard the balcony door open and two people step outside. Naruto could hear Lloyd's voice.

"Colette, I'm sorry for not making your birthday present in time…"

"It's ok, Lloyd…"

"But this sort of thing is special because you get it on your birthday, you know?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. It was Colette's birthday?

"Well, will you just wish me a happy birthday then?"

"Sure. Happy birthday, Colette."

Naruto scowled. He really did not want to hear this. Birthdays were another touchy spot for him.

"Thanks Lloyd."

"World regeneration, huh? Sounds kind of exciting…"

"Yeah! Travelling, breaking the seals, and then…"

"And then?"

There was silence for a moment which made Naruto wonder exactly who Colette was.

"Never mind. Still, I can't believe Remiel is really my father…"

"Even if he's your real father, you still have a father in Isalea. Just because he isn't related by blood doesn't mean he's not family. You should just be thankful you have more than most people."

"How true."

Both of them whipped their heads up to the roof where Naruto was laying, staring up at the stars. Lloyd got angry.

"Naruto? What are you doing listening in on this conversation?"

Naruto smirked at Lloyd's reaction.

"I've been here since I left you guys in the forest. I have a habit of laying on rooves and looking at the stars. After all, for two and a half years, all I had for a roof over my head was the sky. But still, you made a good point. Family is family, no matter if they're blood related or not. Oh, and happy birthday Colette. If I'd have known, I would have got you something. Sorry about that."

Colette smiled brightly at Naruto.

"Oh no, it's no problem! Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto looked at Colette.

"Colette, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

Colette looked surprised but shook her head.

"Not at all."

Naruto looked up at the sky as he asked her.

"This world regeneration thing… How far will it take you from here?"

Colette looked surprised but answered truthfully.

"All over the world. Why?"

Naruto looked straight at her, determination the likes of which she had seen only in Lloyd.

"I assume it will be dangerous?"

Colette nodded.

"Yes. We have to deal with monsters and Desians. May chosen have failed before."

Naruto nodded. This would be as good a chance as any to find a way back to his world.

"Would you mind if I came along with you? In exchange for protecting you, I want to scour the world for a way back home."

Lloyd snorted.

"She doesn't need your help. I'm all the help she needs."

Naruto smiled.

"Want to spar to prove that?"

Lloyd smiled as he turned around.

"You're on. Meet me down there."

Naruto smirked confidently.

"Better get going. I'm waiting."

Lloyd and Colette looked in surprise at Naruto before he pointed to the area in front of the house. They turned to see Naruto standing there. They blinked in surprise, before looking back up on the roof to see Naruto was no longer there. They turned back to see Naruto still standing on the ground, tapping his foot as he looked at them impatiently.

"Well? We don't have all night."

Lloyd growled as he jumped off the balcony and landed without winding himself. He looked at Naruto from the other side of the pathway.

"I'm not going to fight someone who's unarmed."

Naruto snorted and waved his hand dismissively.

"I'm armed. I just haven't revealed my weapons yet. Go when you're ready."

Naruto was completely relaxed and disinterested while Lloyd was getting very annoyed.

"Hey! Are you even ready?"

Naruto nodded. By now, everyone was gathering around as Naruto held up a single finger.

"One finger."

Everyone looked at Naruto questioningly.

"Even with my partially suppressed chakra, one finger is enough for this duel."

Lloyd charged in blindly, oozing rage.

"Don't underestimate me!"

Naruto smiled as he aided his finger with chakra and knocked Lloyd's wooden sword that he thrust at Naruto out of his hand without even moving. Everyone gasped as Lloyd stumbled back. He looked over to his lost sword when he felt Naruto behind him.

"Never, ever look away from your opponent, Lloyd. It took me more than 12 years to understand that and it nearly cost me my life many times."

Lloyd snarled as he tried to slash Naruto, who flipped back over several times out of harm's way. Lloyd glared at him.

"Why do you have to be so annoying?"

Naruto's eyes widened before he looked back down at the ground, hurt, sorrow and pain filling his eyes. Lloyd saw his chance and charged in with his sword extended.

"Sonic thrust!"

Naruto's eyes shot up as he saw Lloyd thrust his sword at him, surrounded by what looked to be green chakra. He stiffened and flicked Lloyd's other sword away, making it slam into the side of Dirk's house and stick there. That wasn't bad for a wooden sword. Naruto looked at Lloyd.

"I'm annoying because that's the only way I was able to get recognition of my existence as a human being, Lloyd. You know how hard it is to get recognition, for who you are and not who you're related to or seen as, right?"

Everyone gasped or showed some signs of severe shock. Lloyd's eyes narrowed.

"What did you say?"

Naruto smiled sadly.

"You know exactly what it's like. I can see it in your eyes."

Genis snorted.

"That's so cliché."

Naruto stared at Genis, making him shiver. It felt like he was staring straight into his soul. Naruto did the same to Raine.

"You too, Genis and Raine."

Genis and Raine gasped, making everyone turn to them.

"Professor? Genis? Is something wrong?"

Raine shook her head.

"No, it's nothing."

Naruto looked at the group, before settling on Colette.

"I think I've proven myself. When are you leaving?"

Colette's eyes widened and looked between Lloyd and Naruto, making Naruto sighed.

"I get the point. I'll ask later."

Colette's eyes widened as Naruto seemed to be able to read her actions like she was a book. Naruto turned around and walked away, everyone staring at his back in awe.

"Who is that guy? He's freaky…"

Everyone nodded in agreement with Genis' assessment. Dirk knew better, but kept his mouth shut at Naruto's silent request to keep the information private. Colette turned to Lloyd and tugged on his hand.

"Lloyd, I didn't get to finish the conversation. Can we go somewhere else?"

Lloyd nodded.

"Sure thing."

Both of them left the group to finish the conversation.

"Lloyd, we're leaving at noon tomorrow. Don't be late, ok?"

Lloyd smiled and nodded at the fact that even after Naruto had humiliated him, she still wanted him to go.

"I'll be there, and have your present ready."

"Thank you Lloyd, it means so much to me."

"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?"

"Right."

Both of them left to go back to the group. Colette looked at them before smiling.

"I'm going to go and find Naruto. Then we can leave, ok?"

They nodded as Colette left in the direction Naruto had gone. She walked into the trees and squeaked, falling over in surprise as she heard Naruto's voice from almost directly behind her.

"Colette, I'm here."

Naruto sweat dropped as Colette looked around wildly.

"Up here."

Colette looked up and saw Naruto hanging upside down off a branch as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Wow! Naruto, how did you do that?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Chakra, or mana as you guys call it, doesn't just have to be used for spells. Chakra can be used to do anything. You name it, it's probably possible."

Colette's eyes lit up as she started dreaming of various things.

"Fly?"

Naruto hummed as he though back to his time in his world and his eyes snapped open when he remembered his trip to Hoshigakure no Sato as a Genin with Team Gai.

"It's possible, yes. A rare ability, but possible."

Colette nodded, getting a serious look on her face.

"Naruto the reason I wanted to talk to you two separately was because I don't want Lloyd to come. I care about him too deeply to let him get involved. I also want to help you get back to your friends and family in your world, as well as I know you can do what you say you can. I also have a feeling you're hiding a lot more than you're showing us…"

Naruto sighed.

"That's true. We all have our secrets, and mine is very sensitive. I'm not usually like I am now, but your friends don't exactly understand the meaning of the word tact…"

Colette nodded slowly.

"They say things they don't mean some times, but they have good hearts. When you looked at Lloyd, I've never seen such sadness in a person. Would you mind telling me what was wrong?"

Naruto shook his head as he tried to think of a way to put it.

"I will tell you, but you have to keep it a secret from everyone, especially Lloyd, ok?"

Colette nodded and placed a hand to her heart.

"I swear."

Naruto nodded and looked Colette in the eyes.

"Colette, Lloyd is a mirror copy of me when I was his age."

Colette's eyes widened but nodded slowly.

"What about him?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Think of any of his personality traits. The hot temper, the stubbornness, the desperate need to be recognised and most of all, the iron will to never give up. That's why I get so confused around him. Because I used to hate myself for being too weak to do what I needed to do, for being too stupid to figure things out my team mates figured out in seconds, but I feel so sad around him because I see a part of myself I would rather forget about and protect at the same time. Normally, I'm a lot like Lloyd, but I have a lot weighing on my mind at the moment. Colette, could I make an extra request?"

Colette had listened to this with absolute fascination and happiness that there was a very good reason Naruto was so 'cold' towards Lloyd.

"What is it Naruto?"

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes, before opening them again.

"In my home village, it's customary for people of my rank to take on either an apprentice or team of apprentices. Up until now, I've never found a person or team who understood what it meant to be a team. Lloyd knows and he knows it instinctively. He has the 'I'll never let my friends die as long as I breathe' mentality. I've waited for two years to find a team or a single person who not only uses words to say it that but their body as well."

Colette looked down at the ground. She was internally torn between denying Naruto's request and granting it. She looked up and smiled sweetly.

"Ok, you can bring him. Please come at midday tomorrow. Ask Lloyd where to meet us."

The one bad thing about Colette for Naruto was that he couldn't tell when she was lying. He'd never been able to do so with non ninjas, and it was very unnerving.

"Thank you, Colette."

Colette nodded and walked away, mentally cursing herself for not only lying to Lloyd, but for lying to Naruto and denying him a way back home. She felt absolutely disgusting as she walked back and said her final goodbyes to Lloyd and Dirk before leaving the clearing with Genis and Raine to get ready for tomorrow. Once they had left, they turned to see Naruto coming back out of the forest. Lloyd narrowed his eyes and turned away, going back inside.

"I'm going to bed. G'night, dad."

Dirk nodded.

"Night, Lloyd."

Naruto called out to Lloyd.

"Lloyd, can I speak to you for a second?"

Lloyd stopped just before the door shut, and called back out.

"What do you want?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head and looked down at the ground.

"Lloyd… I'm sorry for treating you like I did... You remind me of someone who was very close to me that died before my eyes while I couldn't save him…"

Dirk caught on and raised an eyebrow at the analogy of Naruto's 'personality death'. The door slowly opened and Lloyd stuck his head back out, his features softened considerably from the hardened scowl that was on them seconds before.

"Yeah, I'm sorry as well. So, did Colette tell you when she was leaving?"

Naruto nodded and followed Lloyd inside. Lloyd thankfully didn't ask when she had told him when they were leaving, saving him the hassle. Naruto's stomach growled, making him chuckle sheepishly.

"You wouldn't happen to have any ramen, would you?"

Both of them had clearly never heard of the food, making Naruto groan. He was thankful he'd sealed almost a month's supply inside several scrolls that were sitting in his ninja pouch.

"You have boiling water, right?"

Dirk nodded and filled a kettle up with water before placing it onto the stove. Naruto reached into his back pouch and pulled out a red scroll with the Kanji for 'Food' on it. They stared at it as Naruto opened it, which is when they gasped, making Naruto look up.

"Is something wrong?"

Dirk's eyes narrowed.

"Where'd ye get tha'?"

Naruto smiled.

"I made it myself."

Dirk's eyes narrowed further as he came over and looked at it. Lloyd whistled.

"I though dwarfs were the only ones who could make charms or seals anymore…"

Naruto looked at Lloyd before smiling.

"Where I come from, sealing masters are rare, but seals are used in every day combat. A lot of highly ranked ninja are able to make the most basic seals such as exploding tags, but only a seals master can do make ones much more complex than that."

Lloyd looked at Naruto in incomprehension.

"Exploding… Tags?"

Naruto nodded.

"You know that all seals do when you break it down to the most basic part is to either contain something until you need it or suppress something for as long as needed, right?"

Lloyd looked at Naruto as if he'd grown another head.

"They're they same thing!"

Dirk shook his head.

"Not quite, Lloyd. What he means is that some types of seals or charms are meant to keep something contained until you need it, or in the second case, keep something trapped until they don't need to be trapped anymore. For example, with exploding tags, I assume they contain an explosion until you need to release it?"

Naruto nodded slowly.

"Kind of, yeah."

Dirk nodded and went back to his explanation.

"And the second type would be to keep an enemy imprisoned until you no longer need to keep it imprisoned, like when it's dead."

Realisation dawned on Lloyd.

"Oh, I see."

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"You can break it down further and say that seals do just that; they seal things. Anyway, the way we do it where I come from is we seal objects into seals like these, turning the object into its Kanji equivalent. For example, in this scroll are about three hundred servings of ramen. If I were to pull all of them out, it would fill up this entire house."

Lloyd's eyes widened.

"That's not possible!"

Naruto nodded and pointed to a Kanji so Lloyd could see it.

"This is one Kanji. Watch."

Naruto pressed his hand to it, and it was surrounded by smoke, making Lloyd become weary. When it cleared, Lloyd's jaw literally fell open and Dirk whistled as five small colourful packets of something called 'cup ramen' appeared out of no where. Naruto put them down and heard the kettle boil. He put the scroll down and grabbed the kettle. Both Lloyd's and Dirk's eyes were still on the scroll and the packets of ramen. Naruto peeled the lid off one and poured the water in. Naruto rolled the scroll back up and chucked it to Lloyd.

"Catch."

Lloyd braced himself for a massive load but stared at the scroll in incomprehension.

"How can this weigh so little?"

Naruto smiled as he finished pouring the last of the water into the last cup.

"Like I said, our seals turn objects into their Kanji equivalent. While things are seals, they weight only as much as the ink they're written with."

Dirk's eyes narrowed.

"Yeh said yeh made this yerself, correct?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, why?"

Lloyd caught on.

"But you said only sealing masters could make more than those explosive tag things!"

Naruto chucked and sat down.

"I did."

Lloyd stared at Naruto.

"That means you're…"

"A Fuuinjutsu master? I'm not as good as either of my Senseis who were the Fuuinjutsu masters of their generations, but I'm apparently pretty good. Both of them said I am the Fuuinjutsu master of my generation and had the potential to be the best one yet, but I don't think I'm that good… At least, not yet…"

Lloyd was trying to comprehend the full one eighty degree personality change in Naruto and failing miserably. Before, he'd seemed so cold and arrogant, but now he seemed so friendly and modest. Dirk chuckled and put a hand on his adoptive son's shoulder.

"He might tell you eventually, Lloyd. As for now, I say we have dinner and get to sleep. Both of you have a lot to do tomorrow and for a while yet it seems."

Both of them nodded as they sat. Naruto passed each of them one of the cups of boiling noodles, which they gratefully accepted. Lloyd was probably more interested in looking at the cup than the food. Naruto groaned at their reactions.

"You guys don't have plastics yet, do you?"

Dirk shook his head. Naruto sat back and thought about how to question this without giving too much away. However, Lloyd beat him to the punch.

"I don't know any place that's made this plastic stuff…"

Dirk looked at Naruto's calculative face and turned to Lloyd.

"Lloyd, it'd be best not to ask questions about Naruto's past or where he's from until he's ready to tell you. It's very sensitive to him."

Lloyd looked at Dirk and nodded slowly.

"Ok."

The rest of the dinner was eaten in pretty much silence. Afterwards, they left the table. Naruto and Lloyd wished dirk good night and went upstairs. Lloyd immediately went over to a small work bench where there were several tools and pieces of metal on it. Naruto smiled.

"That Colette's birthday present?"

Lloyd nodded and smiled sheepishly.

"I didn't get to finish it in time…"

Naruto smiled as he leaned up against the wall.

"You forgot, right?"

Lloyd's grin turned into suppressed anger.

"No, I didn't."

Naruto smiled and held up a hand.

"I didn't mean that as an attack. No one's memory is perfect except for those weirdos who have a photographic memory…"

Lloyd tilted his head to the side and stared at Lloyd blankly.

"Photographic… Memory?"

Naruto nodded.

"From what I've been able to tell, they do not forget a single thing they see, hear, smell, touch or taste. Not a single thing from their first memory until their last."

Lloyd's eyes widened.

"Wow. There are people like that?"

Naruto nodded.

"Not many, but they exist. All of the one's I've talked to said it was useful and annoying as well."

Lloyd snorted.

"How could something like that being annoying?"

Naruto chuckled. That was exactly what he would have said at Lloyd's age.

"Well, sure you get to remember everything you want to remember just as you saw it when it happened, but also the things you don't want to, like a friend dying or something like that."

Lloyd's features softened.

"Oh… I didn't think of that…"

Naruto laughed softly.

"At your age, few of us do."

Naruto came up to Lloyd's side and watched as he worked. He chatted with Lloyd for the rest of the night about his life. If Naruto needed more conversation that Lloyd was a clone of himself, his past was all that he needed. Lloyd was the dobe of his class in school and according to what he found out today from his father, the strange gem on his right hand called an Exsphere was unique even among other Exspheres. Lloyd didn't know why it was so special, but he knew it was. When Naruto questioned what an Exsphere was, Lloyd refrained from blurting out a 'you don't know what an Exsphere was?', remembering his father's advice and explained what it was.

"An Exshpere is an object which brings out or dormant powers and amplifies our existing ones. However, if you attach a keycrest directly onto the skin, it will cause an effect called 'Exsphere Toxicosis', making you very weak and eventually kill you. The only way to stop it doing that is to get a special type of ore called Inhibitor Ore and carve a charm into it, placing it between the Exsphere and your skin. I would have died a while ago if I didn't have this."

Naruto nodded slowly. Lloyd smiled.

"I bet if you used yours, you'd be really strong!"

Naruto sighed and turned around.

"I probably would be. But if what I think would happen did, it would be best if I never wore one."

Lloyd raised an eyebrow but said nothing as Naruto turned back around.

"You'll find out eventually why. Anyway, I'm going to sleep. I'll see you in the morning, ok?"

Lloyd nodded.

"Night, Naruto."

Naruto nodded and walked outside onto the balcony.

"Night Lloyd. Try and get some sleep."

Lloyd smiled and went back to work.

"Can't make any promises there."

Naruto chuckled and walked outside, staring up at the stars. He tried to find a single constellation he recognised and couldn't find a single one or something even remotely close to one. What shocked him the most was a second moon was now coming over the horizon. A green moon. If he questioned Lloyd about that, Lloyd would definitely know that Naruto wasn't from this planet and so kept his mouth shut. He sighed as he stretched out, trying to get at least some sleep before tomorrow.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Day:**

Naruto had woken up out of habit at dawn, and looked around, remembering what had transpired the day before. It was very unlikely that Kakashi had been able to contact Jiraiya within less than twenty four hours, even if a messenger bird had been sent the second Naruto had taken the jutsu for Sasuke. Naruto could still hear Lloyd working away and sighed, calling out to Lloyd through the open window shutter.

"You didn't sleep at all last night, did you?"

Naruto heard Lloyd stop for a second before continuing.

"Nah. I won't get a chance to finish it after this, so I gotta get it done now."

Naruto smiled and stood up, stretching. He smiled as he thought about what he had told Colette about concerning Lloyd last night. The problem was, he didn't know how to broach the offer of training Lloyd to him.

"Say, Lloyd?"

"Yeah?"

"What did you learn in school? Like, what did you personally learn?"

There was silence for a moment before Lloyd went back to work and answered.

"Not much…"

Naruto chucked.

"When I went to the academy, I didn't learn anything either. And probably only one lesson I was ever taught there was of any use to me, which was the extra lesson I got for detention one day."

Lloyd stopped work, probably trying to comprehend this insight into Naruto's life.

"You didn't learn anything?"

Naruto nodded.

"Not a thing. Everything I know is from what I learnt outside the academy apart from that lesson in detention. What you learn and how you apply it to real life you only get from real life experiences. I could tell you a whole bunch of stuff old geezers would tell you, and it'd mean nothing to you now. But when you get to about my age, you start understanding."

"Eh, so when I get to be about 20, I'll be an old geezer? I never want to get old!"

Naruto couldn't help but laugh out loud. Once he'd calmed down, he clarified what he meant.

"No, I meant that when you compare an old man to me, it's like comparing me to a pre teen."

Lloyd grunted his acknowledgment that he's heard the statement. Several seconds after, there was a crash and Lloyd started cursing. Naruto got up and opened the door to see Lloyd had dropped a tool that looked like a wrench on his toes and was hopping around holding his toe. Naruto smirked as he leaned up against the wall. The pain in Lloyd's foot eventually died down and he returned to work. Naruto smiled as he took a seat leaning up against Lloyd's undisturbed bed as he thought about a different way to broach the subject.

"Lloyd, do you want to become strong?"

Lloyd nodded as he continued working.

"Yeah. I want to get strong."

"Why do you want to become strong?"

Lloyd stopped and thought about it for a second.

"I want to get strong enough to make Kratos believe I'm not getting in the way anymore."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Even judging by the names of Lloyd and his friends, Kratos was a very foreign sounding name.

"Who's Kratos?"

Lloyd looked surprised for a second and then remembered he hadn't told Naruto yet.

"Kratos is this really arrogant mercenary who's going to be protecting Colette. He says I'm nothing but a hindrance and I don't think before I act."

Naruto snorted, making Lloyd look at him.

"When I see Kratos, I'll decide if he has the right to be that arrogant."

Lloyd smiled and went back to work. Soon after, Naruto's stomach growled loudly, which made Lloyd's reply in kind. Naruto stood up and smiled sheepishly.

"I'll get us something to eat."

Lloyd shook his head.

"Family rule. No eating upstairs."

Naruto nodded and reached into his pouch, pulling out a small cloth bag that was tightened with draw stings. He opened it and pulled out a small dark brown pill.

"Lloyd, eat this. It'll give you back your energy."

Lloyd caught the pill and looked over it.

"Just a warning, it doesn't taste very good and it won't fill you up for long."

Lloyd nodded and chucked it into his mouth and bit down. His face instantly twisted into a grimace.

"What the hell is this?"

Naruto smiled. He remembered the first time he'd eaten one and made a face like that.

"It's called a soldier pill. Chew it several more times and then swallow. There's a sweet aftertaste."

Lloyd nodded and chewed several more times before swallowing. He waited for several seconds before his eyes shot open.

"Wow! I feel great! And it tastes like vanilla!"

Naruto smirked and went downstairs to make himself some proper breakfast. He called back up the stairs to Lloyd.

"Don't think you can just pop them all the time. They're not a substitute for proper food and they're expensive."

There was no answer, so Naruto continued down the stairs to see that Dirk wasn't inside, however, there was a note next to the stove and a still simmering pot of stew on it. Naruto picked up the note and his eyebrows rose.

'_To Lloyd and Naruto,_

_I've gone for a walk. There's breakfast in the pot. When you're ready to leave, come and see me. I'll be just outside.'_

Naruto saw a pair of clean plates next to the note and grabbed one, lifting the ladle out of the pot and scooping several large dollops onto the plate before going to sit at the table. He offered a silent pre meal prayer before digging in. After he had finished, he looked at his watch out of habit and snorted at it's read out.

"4:53 pm… Yeah right…"

Naruto got up and went to the sink, seeing the sink was already full of relatively clean soapy water, he dunked the plate in it and went back upstairs. When he saw Lloyd working on the present with renewed vigour, he smirked.

"Seems the soldier pill's working…"

Lloyd nodded enthusiastically.

"It works even better than an apple and orange gel together!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He didn't know what common knowledge of this world was and not, so he had to just observe. He was brought out of his musings by Lloyd's next question.

"What are those things made of?"

Naruto shrugged.

"Not sure. Medicine's not my specialty. Anyway, what time is it?"

Lloyd looked outside at the sun for a moment and then sighed.

"It's about 7 am. I'll finish this up and then have some breakfast and we can get going."

Naruto nodded and took a seat on the stool in Lloyd's room. They chatted for the next two hours before Lloyd held up the finished product.

"Done."

Naruto looked over at it. It was somewhat crude as far as jewellery went, but he wouldn't be able to make something better even if he tried. Lloyd put the necklace into one of his many coat pockets and walked down the stairs. He saw the note left by his dad and followed much the same process Naruto had earlier that morning. Once Lloyd had finished, both of them went outside and saw Dirk standing at the grave. They approached him, making Dirk turn around. Lloyd spoke up.

"Dad, we're going to help Colette with the world regeneration."

Dirk sighed.

"I thought you'd say that, so I prepared some things for your trip."

Dirk handed Lloyd what looked like a map, some coins, a bottle of liquid and a reddish glob of gelatine that was stored inside a bottle as well as a key crest.

"Wow, thanks dad!"

Dirk nodded slowly.

"Dwarven Vow Number 2: Never abandon someone in need. I'm just goen' along with the teachings. I'm grateful that you called me, a non human, yer father. I remember when I found ya at the ranch, yeh were barely old enough to walk. Yeh were scared senseless of me and yeh cried all the time. Now, you've become a fine swordsman and man. One day, when yeh become a full grown man like Naruto here, I'll have somethen special for yeh."

Lloyd smiled as he hugged his dad.

"Thanks, dad."

After a while, they let go and Dirk turned to Naruto.

"Naruto, I've known yeh for less than a day, but I can tell yeh have what it takes to make sure the world regeneration is successful. I probably won't ask yeh anything else, but please make sure Colette and Lloyd are safe until they can defend themselves."

Naruto nodded and took the man's hand, which Dirk gave a massive squeeze.

"Sure thing."

At that point, they heard rushed footsteps behind them and turned to see Genis running up to them, panting with Lloyd's 'pet' not far behind them.

"Genis! Great timing! We were about to go and see Colette!"

Genis looked up at Lloyd in a very angry manner, which made Naruto scowl.

"I knew it."

They turned to Naruto as he growled.

"She lied to us. She said they were leaving at midday."

Genis's eyes widened.

"What? Oh no… No wonder you didn't turn up… We don't have much time, we gotta hurry!"

Naruto looked at both of them.

"How fast can you two move?"

They looked at Naruto and then each other.

"Pretty fast…"

Naruto smirked.

"I'm going to use chakra to enhance my movements, meaning I'll literally be kicking up a dust trail. Can you keep up with that?"

Both of them shook their head, making Naruto look at Lloyd's pet.

"Can you ride on it?"

Naruto looked at his pet and then nodded.

"Alright, let's go, Noishe!"

Both of them jumped onto the animals back while Naruto turned to them.

"Where is Iselia?"

Lloyd pointed over a line of trees to the north.

"Out of the forest that way."

Naruto nodded and concentrated before taking off, and as he said, leaving a dust trail behind him. Lloyd sweat dropped and Noishe took off at a much more sedate pace compared to Naruto.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Almost 2 Minutes Later, Outside Iselia:**

The two guards posted outside the small village looked up as they saw a dust cloud flying towards them and got their pitch forks ready. The dust cloud came right up in front of them and stopped. When it cleared, they saw a rather tall boy with piercing blue eyes, sun kissed blonde hair and a fashion sense that made Lloyd look like a king. The guard on the left looked at Naruto fearfully.

"Wh… Who are you?"

Naruto smiled widely.

"A friend of Lloyd's. He'll be here soon enough."

Sure enough, a completely ragged Noishe came out of the forest with Lloyd and Genis on it's back. It came up to the gate and dropped to the ground, panting. Lloyd looked at Naruto in amazement.

"Wow, you were fast, Naruto!"

Naruto smiled at Lloyd, while the two guards turned to the red wearing sword wielder.

"Lloyd, Phaidra asked me to send you to her when you got here."

They nodded and walked through the gates, while Noishe limped back the way they came. Lloyd led the way to the back of the village. Naruto paid no attention to the villagers who stopped and stared at him, several in disgust and several in fear. Naruto had never been here before, and it was already turning into a Konoha without the good bits. Lloyd led them to what was easily the largest house in the tiny village and opened the door. Inside, Naruto saw a middle aged man with short blonde hair as well as an elderly woman who looked up at them. Lloyd looked at the elderly woman with concern clearly evident on his face.

"Phaidra, did you say you wanted to see us?"

Phaidra nodded.

"Indeed I did, Lloyd. You must be Naruto, correct?"

Naruto nodded.

"I am, Phaidra -San. However, I wish to know why Colette lied to me and denied me the chance to get back to my place of birth."

Phaidra smiled at Naruto and looked at a letter on the table.

"Colette would not tell me; however, she said she wanted both you and Lloyd to read that letter."

Naruto looked at Lloyd. Their eyes met and Naruto nodded, picking up the letter.

'_Dear Lloyd and Naruto,_

_I'm sorry for lying to both of you, but I care too much about Lloyd to get him involved, and I couldn't let you get him involved Naruto. I'm so sorry. Lloyd, I'm truly thankful for your friendship all these years. I'm truly luck to have met you. Naruto, I didn't know you for very long, but I can tell you have a heart of gold. I have one request. Please take care of Lloyd for me. Thank you, and goodbye._

_Colette.'_

Naruto looked up at Phaidra.

"This is a will."

Everyone in the room looked at Naruto whose face showed he was barely suppressing his anger. Lloyd looked at Frank for an explanation.

"Frank, what is this? Why did she lie to us about the time?"

Frank sighed shaking his head.

"You could call it a will of sorts. There's something we have been keeping from the villagers. Lloyd, Genis, Naruto, the journey of world regeneration will be the-"

Frank was cut off as several loud explosions pierced the silence, making everyone looked out the window. Naruto looked at Lloyd and Genis.

"We'll find out what is about later. Lloyd, Genis, let's find out what's happening."

Neither of them disagreed and the three of them charged out the door to find the village on fire, bodies strewn everywhere. Naruto looked around and saw several men in red and black skin tight clothes with metal helmets that completely covered their heads. Naruto pointed to two that were directly south of them, watching a building burn.

"Genis, Lloyd, I'm leaving those two to you. I'll take care of the rest. Meet in the village plaza when you've finished. Go!"

Neither of them were in any state to argue, seeing the village was in the state it was in. Naruto disappeared, leaving Genis and Lloyd to run down the curving street, dodging bodies and flaming debris. Eventually, they met up with the two enemies.

"Damn, the Desians!"

The Desians turned to Lloyd and Genis. The one with a crossbow pointed at them.

"Look! More survivors! Get them!"

A quick and savage battle ensued, with Lloyd and Genis coming out without a scratch. Both of them remembered Naruto's instructions and ran to the entrance of the village which was deemed the 'village plaza' because it was the widest open space in the village. A Desian with a golden headdress, a backpack and a staff looked at them.

"Lloyd Irving, come forth!"

Both Lloyd and Genis came from the side and stood in front of the multitude of Desians. Lloyd snarled at them.

"Damn it, you Desians have come to attack the village again! I've had enough of this! Fire you attack the Chosen, and now this! When are you going to be satisfied?"

The speaker looked to the one on his right and started laughing.

"Us? Attack the Chosen? I see now, it must have been them."

"Mind telling us who 'them' is exactly?"

Everyone whipped their heads in the direction of the voice to see Naruto standing lazily behind the speaker, who fell back in surprise. Naruto snorted.

"Well?"

Naruto stiffened as he felt a very powerful chakra source behind him.

"I would advise you to not intimidate my men like that. This has nothing to do with you, so step aside human."

Naruto looked at the aqua green haired man who was dressed in the strangest clothes he had ever seen. His right arm was also covered in some sort of metal canister.

"Well then, **mortal**, answer my question and I might consider it."

Everyone raised an eyebrow at Naruto's emphasised word. One of the crossbowmen raised his weapon and took aim.

"How dare you refer to Lord Forcystus like that, scum!"

He fired the crossbow bolt at Naruto, who whipped a hand up and caught the bolt between two fingers casually, making the Desians go on guard. For effect, Naruto snapped the bolt in half with those two fingers and looked at the bowmen.

"Are you in a hurry to die? I can oblige you, if you wish."

He snorted.

"With all of us here? Do you think you have any chance of winning?"

The man known as Forcystus held up a hand.

"Judging by his levels of mana, I have little doubt the human can back up his words without much difficulty."

Every single one of the Desians stepped away from Naruto while Forcystus narrowed his eyes at Naruto.

"It is truly a pity you are a human. If you had been a half elf, I have little doubt you would have been a very powerful Desian."

Naruto waved him off and back flipped over the nearest Desians' head, landing next to Lloyd.

"Even so, the fact remains that I'm not, and I never will be. Now, tell us why you have done this-"

He indicated the burning village.

"And I may let you live, depending on your answer."

Forcystus's eyes locked onto Lloyd's.

"Lloyd Irving, you a human, have been found guilty of breaching the non aggression treaty, coming into contact with host body F 134."

Naruto sighed.

"Was this treaty on paper?"

Forcystus nodded.

"It was, signed by both myself and the mayor."

Naruto snorted.

"Treaties aren't worth the paper they're written on. A hand shake or a treaty on paper is no better than a verbal agreement with no witnesses; your word against ours."

Everyone gasped at this before an old man with grey hair stood in front of Naruto.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

Naruto looked down at the man.

"Last time I checked, I was trying to save you."

The man scoffed.

"Being a friend of Lloyds, I should have known better. I wouldn't be surprised if you had something to do with this!"

Naruto released a small amount of focused killer intent at the man, making his drop to his knees and quiver. Naruto sighed and shook his head.

"I really, really hate judgmental people like him. I've had to deal with enough of them in my life."

The villagers gathered around the mayor to check if he was alright. One woman looked up at him.

"What did you do to him?"

Naruto looked at the woman.

"Stopped him from digging a bigger hole for this village. He'll be fine soon enough."

Forcystus smirked.

"Is there internal confusion?"

Naruto looked at him.

"No. I was never really part of this village, so internal is not the right word."

Forcystus smiled and snapped his fingers.

"Lloyd Irving, we have prepared a suitable opponent for your crime."

A towering creature made of twisted green and off white flesh limped into the plaza, much as a zombie would. Naruto however, knew this was no ordinary monster.

"That thing has a human chakra source… Who is, or was that?"

Naruto heard a voice in his head. However, it was not the Kyuubi. It sounded like an elderly female in obvious pain.

"Genis… Lloyd… Run away! I can't control myself…"

Genis gasped. He'd obviously heard it too.

"That sounds like Marble…"

The monster walked up to them and smashed the mayor out of the way, who was just starting to recover. Naruto sighed and looked at Lloyd and Genis.

"Lloyd, Genis, this is your fight. I'm not permitted to interfere."

Naruto jumped back, leaving them to face the monster. The monster lumbered forward and aimed a wide sweep with its' mutilated clawed arm, striking one of Lloyd's wooden swords. Lloyd just managed to absorb the blow before striking at the monster's arm, making a deep gash that spewed dark green blood and the monster shuddered in obvious agony. Genis began channelling a spell, an intricate circle of red mana around him. After a while, he announced his spell.

"Fireball!"

Three fireballs were launched out of Genis' kendama. The trio of fireballs flew through the air, heading straight for the monster. The monster brought up it's wounded arm and took the fireballs, cauterizing Lloyd's slash wound instantly and burning the rest of the arm. The arm was now hanging loosely by its side. Lloyd ran behind it and around to the other side, trying to disable the other arm. However, the monster seemed to have a violent fit of pain. Its arm shot out, catching the unsuspecting Lloyd full in the chest, sending him tumbling to the ground, where he stayed, groaning. Genis looked at his dazed friend.

"Lloyd!"

Genis glanced back at the monster and shut his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Marble…"

A circle of green mana surrounded him and he released his spell.

"Wind blade!"

Several wisps of razer sharp, mana infused air ripped into the monster's chest, cutting into it severely. The monster tried to go onwards, but collapsed and stayed still. Genis ran over to Lloyd as did Naruto. Lloyd had a somewhat serious cut to his chest from one of the spikes on the monsters arm. Naruto held out a hand, stopping Genis from getting any closer.

"Let me heal him."

Naruto formed several hand seals and his hand was surrounded by the lite green healing chakra and he placed it on Lloyd's wound. Several years ago, Tsunade had insisted Naruto learn some basic medical jutsus to help heal his friends when they were in need. He remembered the incident well.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Flashback, Tsunade's Office:**

"Tsunade-Obaachan, did you need me? Like, is there a mission where I have to protect a really famous person? Or maybe a Daimyo?"

Tsunade's eye twitched at the casual reference, but let it pass.

"I did, Naruto, however, not for a mission I want you to learn some medical jutsu."

Naruto snorted.

"I have it. I don't need them. And other wounds from our team Sakura-Chan can heal."

Tsunade sighed as she sat back. It was true that the Kyuubi's healing of its container practically eliminated the need for Naruto to learn medical jutsus for his own sake, but that was not why she wanted to teach him them.

"Naruto, what happens when you become a Jounin and are sent on solo missions where you are required to protect a target and he is wounded to the point where if you move him, he will die? You can't just hope that a friendly medic Nin will pass by."

Naruto waved it off.

"That won't happen."

Tsunade's eye was now twitching madly.

"I don't think you get the point, Naruto. I'm telling you, you are going to learn some medical jutsu."

Naruto looked at Tsunade before turning around and began walking towards the door.

"No thanks, Obaachan. I'm going to go and train."

Tsunade smirked evilly as a plan came into her head.

"If you don't learn them, I will never even consider you for the position of Rokudaime Hokage."

Naruto froze as Tsunade blackmailed Naruto again.

"I heard Konohamaru wanted to be Hokage as well…"

Naruto shot back around and raced up to the desk.

"Teachmeteachmeteachme!"

Tsunade smirked. Naruto was so utterly predictable sometimes.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**End Flashback:**

Naruto was now glad Tsunade had taught him the healing jutsu. Everyone's eyes widened as the wound on Lloyd's chest sealed, covered in scarless skin. Genis spoke everyone's thoughts.

"You can use the healing arts…"

Naruto nodded.

"Only a few basic ones, though. Medicine isn't my speciality. That's my team mates department."

Lloyd slowly got up and shook his head.

"What happened?"

Naruto got back up, while continuing to look at Lloyd.

"You were pretty badly wounded. I managed to heal you though."

Lloyd nodded and extended his right hand to Naruto, which Naruto grabbed and tugged Lloyd to a standing position. Forcystus gasped at Lloyd's Exsphere.

"That Exsphere! It's the one from the Angelus Project we've been searching for! Give it to me!"

Lloyd turned to Forcystus.

"Never! This is a memento of my mom, who you Desians murdered!"

Forcystus raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about? Your mother was-"

Forcystus didn't get to finish his sentence as the monster latched onto him, restraining his arms.

"Lloyd, Genin, run! Genis, you were like a grandson to me. Thank you for freeing me… Goodbye…"

The monster flashed bright yellow and then exploded, severely scorching Forcystus' back. The three boys were aware of a red gem that rolled and bounced, ending up in front of Genis. Genis scooped it up and looked at in horror.

"Marble? No!"

Naruto saw his chance to finish Forcystus.

"Now I can finish you off!"

Naruto charged in there with blinding speed, but it seemed Forcystus still had some strength left as he lifted the cylinder on his arm up and pointed it directly at Naruto who was less than a foot away from the end of it.

"One wrong move human, and I'll make sure you cover this entire plaza. I'm not one of the five Desian Grand Cardinals for nothing."

Naruto was not sure of how fast or powerful this weapon was, but he didn't want to risk it. He nodded and flipped backwards several times, landing next to Lloyd. Forcystus' guards surrounded him as he looked at Lloyd.

"Lloyd, as long as you have that Exsphere, we will always come after you. Always."

With that, the Desians retreated back the way they had come. The mayor coughed, making everyone look at him. He seemed to be suffering from a minor case of smoke inhalation.

"Look what you've done!"

Lloyd hung his head in shame.

"I'm-"

"Don't say it, Lloyd."

Everyone looked at Naruto as he stared at the mayor.

"This was exactly how I was treated in my hometown, and I did nothing like this. No matter how many times I protected them, saved them or was nice to them, they detested me. I actually think you have nothing to apologise for. Did you attempt to save that woman before?"

Lloyd nodded, amazed that from Forcystus' 'appropriate opponent for your crime' line, Naruto had figured that out.

"Then you have done nothing wrong. Those who do not follow orders are trash; those who do not take care of their friends are far beneath that. If they don't realise that, they are so blinded by hatred their judgment is clouded."

One woman tried to fight back for the villagers.

"The people in the ranch are just going to rot there, anyway!"

Naruto glared at the woman, making her falter.

"So, as long as it's not you rotting there, it's fine is it? You people really are disgusting. Lloyd, Genis, we're leaving. We all have a mission to complete. Don't waste your time on idiots like them."

Naruto turned around, noticing that neither Lloyd nor Genis were following him, so he turned around again.

"You do realise that they will do one of several things now. They will either have you executed, banished or imprisoned. This village is a lost cause. Remember, as long as you don't regret what you've done, you have done nothing wrong. Lloyd, do you want Colette to die?"

Lloyd shook his head madly.

"No! But-"

"Without our help, that's what will happen. Lloyd, remember what I said. Those who don't take care of their friends are worse than trash. That goes for you too, Genis. These people aren't the type to accept those who are different from them. Let's move. If we leave now, we should be able to catch up to them within several days travel."

Lloyd and Genis nodded slowly and began following Naruto out of the village. Everyone was gob smacked that this young blond had taken the situation out of their hands completely and made them look like the ones in the wrong at the same time. The Mayor started trembling in rage.

"I **order** you to come back here!"

Naruto laughed out loud, calling out to them.

"You obviously didn't listen very well. If we listen to you, we're lower than trash. If we don't we're just trash. I know which I would pick. Let's go you two!"

Lloyd and Genis half smiled at their unofficial leader's enthusiasm and ability to turn any situation around to their advantage with just words. They walked through the gates of the burning village, leaving their old lives behind to start a new one in the outside world.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** Now **that's** what I call a prologue! I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. I'll catch you around!

Ja new,

Specula.


	2. Meetings and Rescues

**A/N:** Yo! For those of you who want to see a pic of what Sheena looks like, I've put a link in my profile. Also, I'm not going to explain the story line of Tales of Symphonia, nor am I going to describe how things work or why things exist in the game. You want answers? Go and find them yourselves. I don't have time to write out a 10000000000000 word fic just to explain why things are in the game before I start my fic. I'm not exactly in the happiest mood, as some of you can tell. Why? Because of Steve Irwin and Peter Brock. Two of Australia's icons died this week doing what they do best. Most of you may have heard Steve Irwin died from a sting ray wound. That's true. He's the third person in recorded history to die via sting ray wound. This strikes a deep chord with me, as I came very close to taking Steve's place as number three when I was around 8 when I caught a sting ray fishing. I could tell it was rather pissed off, as I could see its bone sticking out of its tail, meaning it was ready to attack. I'm lucky I wasn't stupid enough to try and pull the hook out of its mouth. And then there was Peter Brock. He died in a car accident. Brock was an awesome guy, a very humble and smart guy. Those who flame me, beware. As an ad on Aussie TV used to say; **NOT HAPPY JAN!**

Thanks, Kyuubi no Yoko 9. Life without betas… Wouldn't be very pretty… '_Looks back at pervious work'_… Uh huh, not pretty at all….

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU/SPELL..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Two Worlds, Two Ninja:

Chapter One:

Meetings & Rescues:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Just Outside Iselia:**

Naruto led Genis, Lloyd and Noishe out of Iselia and into the world beyond. Both of the younger boys were downtrodden about the turn of events and the prospect of fending for themselves. Naruto looked at them and sighed, shaking his head.

"Never had to survive of the land before?"

Both of them nodded, so Naruto sat down on the beaten dirt path, motioning them to sit down as well. Naruto looked over each of them.

"Lloyd, Genis, you do realise if you constantly look behind you, you won't get to enjoy what you're seeing now, right?"

Genis nodded slowly, but Lloyd wasn't so accepting.

"Arg! I can't believe you! How can you be so calm and rational at a time like this!"

Naruto turned to Lloyd and stared at him blankly.

"It's exactly at times like this you need to be calm and rational. You know why?"

Lloyd looked up to see Naruto was gone and now behind him, making Genis gasp and Lloyd's eye widen.

"It's because I moved slow enough for you to detect I was moving, but your sense of judgment was so clouded by emotion you didn't sense me until I could have ended your life. Lloyd, there is a set of laws among my people called the Shinobi Laws. One of them is a very important one: Law number 25: A ninja must not cry or let his emotions show, no matter how stressful the situation is. The mission comes first."

Genis stood up, clearly angry with Naruto.

"That's so cold! How can you even live in a village like that?"

Naruto looked at Genis.

"If you would let me finish, I would have told you that I want to beat some sense into the idiot who made that rule sound so cold."

Naruto walked past Lloyd who was still in shock while Genis slowly sat down after Naruto did. Naruto looked between Genis and Lloyd, a slight breeze ruffling his hair.

"I have created my own Nindo, or ninja way with my own rules that I abide by. My version of Rule 25 is this: A ninja will encounter situations that will break the will of many mortal men. It is in those situations that he must control his emotions to benefit him, not hinder him by letting them cloud his judgment. Tell me, which do you think is better?"

It was a no-brainer, even for Lloyd. Both of them admitted that Naruto's version was far better. Naruto sighed and sat back, staring at the sky.

"Those who try and follow the original laws to the letter are unable to without becoming nothing more than mindless killing machines that are no longer considered sane."

Naruto looked back at them, who were now listening to him with wrapt attention. Naruto's brow furrowed as he thought about their situation.

"I have a lot of experience living off the land; however, the vegetation here is very different to where I live."

Lloyd looked at Naruto in incomprehension.

"Vegetation?"

Genis sighed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"The plants, Lloyd."

Lloyd brightened immediately.

"Ah!"

Naruto looked at Genis, knowing it was better not to trust Lloyd's sense of judgment in this matter.

"Genis, what plants in this area are edible and what do they look like?"

Genis started recounting several types of plant roots and various berries and fruits that were edible, as well as their physical descriptions. Naruto nodded and stood up, crossing his fingers in x shape.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

Naruto was surrounded by smoke which cleared to reveal 10 clones as well as the real Naruto. Lloyd was staring in admiration while Genis was completely unable to explain what he was seeing. The clones turned to Naruto.

"Alright, you heard Genis' description guys. Go and take a look around. Report back in 20 minutes, or if in an emergency, you know what to do."

They nodded and ran off, leaving Naruto there with Genis and Lloyd still staring at him. Naruto quirked an eyebrow.

"Never seen a replication before?"

Both of them nodded as Naruto sat down.

"There are many types of clones where I'm from, depending on which village you come from; you are taught a different one from the base type called Bunshin no Jutsu which creates an unintelligent illusion. There are others that are made of rock and water, being the most common ones. Then there are the rarer ones, such as clones made of sand or ink, or in the case of the one I just used, flesh and blood. Each is useful in a different situation, and has its own weaknesses and strengths. For example, a water clone cannot go too far from it's creator before it loses its ability to hold its form. It also has only 10 percent of the caster's strength."

"Then what's the point of it?"

Naruto looked at Lloyd.

"It's very, very easy and cheap to make, using up almost no chakra, meaning for close range combat against weak enemies, it's ideal if you don't want to get your hands dirty."

Lloyd nodded and sat back. Naruto looked at Lloyd, or more correctly, his swords.

"Lloyd, where did you get those swords?"

Lloyd looked startled for a second before smiling.

"Oh, my dad made them for me."

Naruto nodded slowly.

"Can I see them for a second?"

Lloyd withdrew them and handed them to Naruto, who looked over them, tapping certain points along the wooden blade and hilt. Naruto looked back up at Lloyd.

"Lloyd, did you dad make these for you as a present, or after analysing how you fought?"

Lloyd clearly didn't get it, if the look in his eyes was anything to go by.

"What do you mean?"

Naruto tired to find a way to explain without going into technical details.

"I mean, did you dad watch you practice or anything before he gave you these?"

Lloyd thought back, and after a moment nodded.

"Yeah, come to think of it, he watched me practice with a set of sticks and after I first performed Sonic Thrust, he made them for me."

Naruto nodded and placed one on the ground before holding the other one point downwards over the ground. Both Lloyd and Genis saw mana appear around the blade, extending the blade. Naruto dropped the blade, which buried itself up to the hilt in the ground before Naruto caught it and stopped it going in any further.

"I knew it. You have an affinity for wind."

Genis gasped.

"No way! Wind is the hardest to control!"

Naruto looked at Genis calmly as he began explaining.

"Dirk made those blades because he saw that Lloyd had an affinity for wind when he performed Sonic Thrust, which was why I was able to do that, as I also have the same affinity. For a pair of wooden blades, I have to hand it to Dirk; he's damn good to be able to do that."

Naruto handed the blades back to Lloyd, who unconsciously accepted them. Naruto looked at Lloyd.

"Lloyd, there is no blade stronger than a blade of wind. No blade made of any material can cut it if made properly. If you want, I can help you learn how to control it."

Lloyd's mind was still trying to get over it.

"I have a wind affinity…"

Naruto looked at Genis who sighed.

"You'll get used to this…"

Naruto nodded slowly and accepted the blades Naruto practically slapped into his hand in an attempt to get him to focus back on here and now. Naruto waved a hand in front of Lloyd's face, catching his attention.

"Lloyd, despite the fact that you have a wind affinity and swords that can channel it, you still need to train in unarmed combat for when you have to fight without your swords."

Lloyd smirked as he sheathed his swords.

"That won't happen."

Naruto gave up, deciding to let Lloyd find out what he meant when it did happen. It might not happen today or tomorrow, but it would eventually happen. It was at that point that a clone came back with an armful of a type of fruit. He dumped it and then remembered something.

"When I was hunting, several snakes and a rabbit I'm dead certain was rabid attacked me. I kicked them and they disappeared, leaving behind several coins."

The Kage Bunshin emptied a pocket, revealing 12 worn gold coins. The real Naruto nodded.

"Thanks."

The clone nodded and poofed out of existence. Naruto picked up one of the coins, flipping it idly over in his hands, inspecting it casually. Even though the coin was somewhat damaged, he could still read the writing.

'_1 Gald.'_

Naruto shrugged and pocketed the coins when he felt a large amount of hatred directed at him from behind, turning to see something he thought he never would.

"What the hell is that…"

It was an oversized mushroom that had a face on its stalk, apparently it was rather angry at Naruto for some reason. It was backed up with an oversized bee that was buzzing in the air. Lloyd and Genis reacted immediately, both of them preparing for combat. Naruto picked out two kunai and threw them with precise aim at both of them, cutting both of them in half. Naruto's eyes widened as they fell to the ground, vanishing before they hit it, leaving nothing but several coins to drop to the ground. Both Lloyd and Genis stared at Naruto as he got up and inspected the damage, picking up the coin and staring at it in amazement.

"Well, will you look at that; Who ever said money doesn't grow on trees obviously never came here…"

Naruto pocketed the coins and turned back to them.

"Genis, Lloyd, my clones should be coming back fairly soon. Can either of you cook?"

Genis nodded.

"I can."

Naruto smiled.

"Good. Because after my clones are finished, I'm going to be really hungry."

Lloyd looked confused, as did Genis.

"What do you mean, 'when your clones come back'?"

Naruto looked at Lloyd and smiled.

"If you essentially did 12 people's jobs at once, wouldn't you be hungry?"

Genis caught on immediately.

"So the physical exertion of those clones directly affects your own metabolism."

Naruto nodded.

"Exactly."

Lloyd still didn't get it.

"What's metabolism?"

Naruto smiled as he looked at Lloyd, just as another clone reported in with a bunch of edible roots.

"Lloyd, when you do harsh exercise, what usually happens?"

"Well, I get tired and hungry…"

Naruto nodded.

"Exactly. When you eat, the food is turned into lots of things, including the energy you need to do things. That's part of what's called your metabolism."

Lloyd slowly began to understand.

"So each clone is basically you, and when you get rid of each one, it passes on how hard it worked and how hungry it was?"

Naruto nodded as he dispelled the clone after it handed over the coins to him. He was defiantly starting to feel the hunger set in.

"Yeah. I also get all of its memories since it was created. For example, if I created two clones, sent them out of sight and had them play a game of Jyu-Ken-Pou, and then they dispelled themselves, I would know who won and with what."

Genis was already setting up some twigs and dry kindling to start a fire when the next clone came in with the body of an animal that had already been skinned and gutted. The younger boys looked at the animal and paled. Naruto sighed.

"One of the things you will have to get used to until we can find a place to restock with supplies is killing animals for meat. Trust me, the way I was taught to do it is a lot kinder to the animal than the ones you're used to eating. Let me give you a hint, never go to an abattoir if you're going to react like that to this. Trust me, after you go in one, you'll come out a strict vegetarian for life."

The serious look on Naruto's face told them he wasn't joking. Naruto grabbed a stick that Genis was keeping next to him and placed it inside the cut. He turned back around and placed it against the fire. The clones came back, handing over anywhere between five and fifteen Gald. By the end of it, Naruto was ravenous, if his stomach and tendril of drool hanging from his mouth was any indication. Once the rabbit was cooked, Naruto slapped his hands together and closed his eyes.

"Itadakimasu…"

Naruto ripped the rabbit off the fire and tore into it with a zeal that made it clear to both Lloyd and Genis that Naruto was obviously used to doing this. After Naruto had finished his rabbit, while Lloyd and Genis had finished off some sandwiches they had prepared earlier, they sat back, Naruto looked at them both.

"Guys, we're going to have to keep a very careful eye on our cash and how we spend it. I've lived alone since I was four, so I know how to manage money. But I'm not going to chase after both of you and tell you what you should and shouldn't spend your money on."

Genis raised an eyebrow.

"You've lived alone since you were four?"

Naruto nodded and looked at Genis.

"And that's as far as that conversation goes. I will tell you in time, however, I will decide the time to tell you about my past."

Naruto's gaze left no room for arguments. Once they had finished their food, they put out their fire and left to search for some signs of civilisation. Naruto looked as far as he could, enhancing his eyesight with chakra. Unfortunately, he was unable to see anything resembling a house. They trudged on, fighting off various forms of semi-sentient mushrooms, bees and snakes, with Naruto giving them pointers as to how to improve their defences and offences. By the end of the day, they had collected several hundred Gald from monsters. When the sun began setting, Naruto looked into the line of trees to their left, and called a halt. Naruto's eyes narrowed but smiled as he saw a red fox run up to him and look at him happily. Naruto smiled and bent down, scratching it behind the ears making it whine in pleasure. Naruto looked into the foxes eyes, almost as if having some sort of unspoken conversation with it. Naruto nodded to the fox, which dashed back off into the bushes. Naruto stood up and looked at a place near the edge of the tree line.

"There's someone over there with a caravan. We should go check it out."

Naruto started walking towards the area he had indicated, while Genis and Lloyd looked at each other. They shrugged and followed Naruto. Soon enough, they saw a weak orange light shining out of an alcove in the trees, indicating a fire. Naruto walked inside casually and raised a hand, greeting the only person there, a young woman.

"Yo! Sorry to disturb you."

The woman looked up and smiled, shaking her head.

"Not at all. Please, take a seat. The closest town to here is Iselia, meaning you must have just come from there."

Naruto nodded in agreement as Genis and Lloyd came into the clearing, seeing Naruto take a seat opposite the fire from the woman. She looked up as they entered, and then back at Naruto.

"Friends of yours?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. Sorry to impose on you like this…"

The woman shook her head.

"It's quite alright. May I ask what three young men like yourselves are doing out here at this time of the night?"

Naruto smiled as Lloyd and Genis sat to his left.

"Well, we're all looking for something."

The woman looked at all three of them, before looking back at Naruto.

"Something? I don't recognise those sorts of clothes, meaning you are not from around this area. Perhaps you're looking for your way home?"

Naruto nodded.

"Exactly. However, until I find that way, I'm helping these two to find their friends while we travel the world."

The lady smiled brightly.

"Travelling the world? That is a very admirable thing for three so young."

They talked for another hour or so until the lady stood up, just as the last of the fire died from lack of fuel.

"Well, I will be retiring to bed. There is more than enough room in the caravan for all of us to sleep. Please make yourselves comfortable."

All three of them thanked her, taking one of the four beds and drifting off to sleep.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning:**

Naruto out of habit awoke at dawn. He quickly came to full alert, but subsided when he remembered where he was. He stirred and got out of his bunk bed, only to trip over Lloyd who was snoring on the ground. Naruto let out a yelp of surprise as he tripped over Lloyd and crashed to the ground, which woke up the others. Everyone came in to find Naruto and Lloyd struggling to get out of a pile of sheets. Naruto called out to Lloyd.

"Lloyd, what the hell are you doing sleeping on the floor?"

"As if I was sleeping on the floor! You used one of your weird tricks to pull me off my bed!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Genis groaned as both of them bickered. Finally, Naruto was able to separate himself from the sheets and look at Genis.

"Does he always sleep on the floor?"

Genis nodded.

"Yup. Sure does."

"Shut it, Genis!"

Lloyd finally reappeared from under his part of the sheets and glared at Naruto, who returned to the glare, blue electricity coming from their eyes and meeting in the middle. Genis sighed, shaking his head.

"You two are so childish…"

"WE ARE NOT!"

Genis looked up to see both boys glaring at him, who then proceeded to glare at each other once he fell back. After another few minutes of bickering, Naruto and Lloyd finally settled for an uneasy truce when they smelt something that made their stomachs growl.

"Food…"

Naruto nodded.

"We'll finish this later."

Lloyd nodded and threw the sheets off him, scrambling out the door with Naruto hot on his heels towards the delicious smell of bacon and eggs. Both of them sat at the table, while Genis walked at a more sedate pace, taking the seat between Naruto and Lloyd at the counter-top table. The woman smiled as she served them each a rather large plate of bacon and eggs. They all thanked her and dug in, Naruto slapping his hands together and muttering the usual pre meal prayer before joining Lloyd and Genis in eating. After less than a minute, Genis noticed that both Lloyd and Naruto were demolishing their plates with gusto. Both of them finished at the same time and held their plates out to their host.

"SECONDS PLEASE!"

They looked at each other and glared again, red electricity coming from their eyes and meeting in the middle. Genis grumbled something about immature adults, but their hostess just smiled and served them up a second lot, taking the last for herself and taking a seat. They ate in silence that was broken only by the sounds of utensils cutting food and the munching of hungry people. After everyone had finished, they sat back, content for the first real meal they had had in almost a day. Naruto looked out the window and saw the sun. Its position indicated it was a bit past seven in the morning. Naruto stood, taking everyone's empty plates and utensils to the sink and began washing up. Their hostess tried to stop him.

"Naruto, it's quite alright, I can do it-"

Naruto waved her away as he turned off the tap.

"It's the least we can do to thank you for your hospitality."

The woman nodded and sat back down as Naruto finished the dishes in record time. He picked a towel off a hook on the door under the sink and began drying them. Not even a single minute had past when Naruto finished the job. Genis scowled at Naruto.

"There's no way you could have done that properly in that amount of time, Naruto."

Naruto looked at Genis dead panned.

"I told you before. I've lived alone since I was four. You find a lot of ways to do things properly in less time in 15 years."

Genis still didn't believe him, so he hopped up and checked Naruto's work. His eyes widened at the completely clean plates.

"Naruto, are you sure you didn't use a spell or something to replace them with new ones?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Doing that would be far too expensive."

Naruto turned to look at their hostess, bowing to her.

"Thank you very much for putting up with us."

The woman smiled and shook her head.

"It was no problem at all. Are you leaving?"

Naruto nodded.

"Our friends already had a half day head start on us when we left. If we want to catch up to them, we have to leave now."

The woman smiled as Lloyd got out of his seat and smiled at the woman.

"Thanks a lot for that…"

The woman nodded at him.

"No problems, Lloyd. Take care of yourself, ok?"

Lloyd nodded and turned to leave to get his swords and boots. Naruto followed him to get his flak jacket and sandals. Genis thanked the woman for her time and effort and then left to get his kendama and shoes. Once they were ready, they stepped outside. Naruto looked around with chakra enhanced vision, spotting some sort of structure down the road in the direction they were heading. Naruto pointed to it.

"We're going to head to that building there."

Genis and Lloyd looked where Naruto was pointing and saw nothing. They blinked, and again saw nothing. Genis looked at Naruto with a look that said 'you're hallucinating.'

"Uh, Naruto… There's nothing over there…"

"Actually, there is a House of Salvation over there just out of visual range. You must have very good eyesight to be able to spot that, Naruto."

Naruto turned around and smiled.

"My eyesight's as good as anyone's, but I just know how to improve it temporarily."

Lloyd snorted and turned back around.

"One of those weird pill things you have?"

Genis looked at Lloyd, wondering what he was talking about.

"What pill things?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Soldier pills, and no I didn't use one. If I did, I could see even further. I used chakra or mana as you guys call it to enhance my eyesight."

Genis' eyes widened as he looked at Naruto.

"That's impossible! No one can do that!"

Naruto looked at Genis and smiled.

"And I suppose jumping up onto Lloyd's roof from the ground, hanging upside down from a tree as if I was walking on solid ground and jumping through trees is impossible too then…"

Genis remembered what had happened several days ago at Dirk's house when they had first met Naruto, and how he had made an inhumane leap to the roof of the second story. Genis grumbled and lowered his head and grumbled a complaint.

"What is it with people who wear bright clothing and doing weird things…"

Naruto snorted catching Genis' attention.

"Genis, I can focus mana to my ears too. I heard that."

Genis looked taken aback, as did Lloyd. However, Lloyd got a look of pure determination in his eyes.

"Naruto, teach me how to do that!"

Naruto smiled at Lloyd.

"I will in time. However, your control over mana isn't good enough to do that. If I tried to teach you it now, it could have pretty negative results, such as permanent loss of hearing."

Lloyd looked crestfallen, but Naruto placed a hand on his shoulder.

"However, I am going to teach you how to run faster than anyone else, as well as you Genis."

Genis realised what Naruto was implying and smiled.

"Cool!"

Lloyd agreed. Naruto turned back one last time to their hostess and waved.

"We might meet again."

The lady smiled and waved back.

"I'm sure we will. Take care!"

Naruto nodded and walked out of the clearing with Genis and Lloyd on either side of him. Naruto stopped once they were back on the road.

"Ok, I'm skipping the very basics of what we call 'chakra control exercises'."

Lloyd smiled, full of confidence.

"Yeah! I knew we were too good for the basics!"

Naruto looked at Lloyd and suppressed a grin.

"Really? Well then, can you walk up a tree using only your feet, or walk atop water as if it were solid land? Because those are the first two exercises, the bare basics."

Genis smiled as Lloyd's confidence completely deflated. Naruto shook his head.

"When the time comes, we'll do those. However, skipping the boring theory parts, I'm sure you're aware of how you concentrate mana for attacks, Lloyd?"

Lloyd looked up at the sky in deep concentration.

"Well, I kind of force my mana into my hand and out through my swords… Apart from that, I don't know…"

Naruto nodded.

"How forceful are you when you thrust the mana out of your body?"

Genis snorted.

"He has no finesse whatsoever."

Lloyd looked at Genis and glared, but said nothing. Naruto took this into account, coming to a conclusion.

"Lloyd, it's natural with a wind affinity, especially when using a medium such as a weapon to want to pump as much mana into your weapon as quickly as you can. However, for this, you need to focus and let your mana concentrate itself in your legs, especially the muscles. Close your eyes and try and feel the mana flowing through your body."

Lloyd shrugged and did as he was told. He scrunched his eyes closed as he concentrated harder. He was stopped by Naruto.

"Lloyd, don't push to find it. Start with your heartbeat. Focus on your heart and tell me if you can feel the mana moving every time your heart beats."

Lloyd nodded and closed his eyes. Not 5 seconds later, his eyes snapped open.

"Wow! I never knew mana moved like that!"

Genis smirked.

"Really? And how exactly did it move?"

Lloyd thought of a way of explaining it.

"It was like the mana was moving around my body in pipes or something!"

Naruto nodded.

"Chakra pathways."

Genis and Lloyd looked at Naruto who gave a brief explanation of what they were as they started walking again.

"Chakra pathways are kind of like the blood circulation system. Chakra pathways are mainly focused around your heart and other major organs, but they spread through out your entire body. The more important the area of the body is, the more chakra pathways there are. The ones in the less important areas such as you fingers or toes have practically none, and what ones they do have are very, very small. Unlike your flow of blood, you can to an extent control how your chakra or mana moves, and even how it takes form. For example, if I was to focus my chakra to my leg muscles…"

Naruto did so and his speed increased significantly while they were walking. He stopped about ten meters ahead of them and turned around.

"I can move faster. However, you have to know when to stop."

Lloyd didn't get the point.

"Eh? But isn't faster better?"

Naruto nodded.

"To a point. Lloyd, a person's is only ever able to use their muscles at 20 percent of their limits. If they use them any more than that, their muscles will destroy themselves beyond repair. I had a friend back home who learnt that the hard way. He specialised in hand to hand fighting and was a genius at opening eight areas in the body known as the celestial gates. A person who can open all eight of those gates will become more powerful than the strongest men to have ever lived, as well as many demons and most likely angels as well."

Lloyd's eyes widened.

"Wow! I want to learn how to do that!"

Genis was a bit more reserved in his judgment.

"There's a catch, right?"

Naruto nodded.

"In exchange for the power to destroy entire armies, you completely destroy your own body from the amount of stress you place on it. Once the power runs out, so does your life."

Both boys became immediately sober. Naruto turned around and kept walking.

"My friend opened 5 of those gates over 5 years ago at the age of 14. If he was somehow able to face me as I am now when he was 14, I would be almost without a doubt spread over this entire field, which I can tell you would look like a war zone. However, once the power ran out, the medics said he would never be able to fight again, no matter what they did. And they all specialised only in the healing arts, as you call them. If it wasn't for the best medic we ever had, Tsunade, he would not even be able to walk up a flight of stairs unaided for the rest of his life. Lloyd, there is absolutely nothing free in life. Fame, power, money, recognition; all of them cost something. Those who try and gain them through shortcuts will end up regretting it, like my friend did. He was lucky he got another chance at life."

Lloyd nodded solemnly, taking Naruto's advice to heart. Genis was amazed that Naruto took something for granted that had only been theorised about before. Naruto lifted his head up and smiled.

"No point focusing on past events. Anyway, both of you try and focus your mana to your legs. Try a little bit at a time, and see how you go from there. Remember, a true warrior turns any opportunity they can get into training."

Lloyd agreed readily, while Genis was a little more hesitant. Like Naruto expected, Lloyd's progress was shaky, trying out different ways of doing it and getting various results. Genis on the other hand, got it first try. After a while, they were able to maintain a pace that would be equivalent to jogging while just walking. By about mid morning, the House of Salvation was in sight, and they all sped up slightly, hoping to get some information about Colette and their group.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Midday:**

By about 12 pm, they reached the House of Salvation. Naruto saw that apart from a traveller of some sort and a dog, there was not a single person outside. Naruto looked at them.

"Can both of you check with that man there? I'm going inside to ask."

They nodded and approached the man as Naruto walked up to the roughly circular wooden two story house and pushed open the giant double wooden doors, which opened with a creak. Once inside, he saw that apart from an empty reception desk to his right and a spiral staircase leading upwards to his left, the only person there was an elderly man in some sort of clothing that gave Naruto a distinct impression that he was in charge of this place as well as a religious man. Naruto approached him quietly, seeing the man was making a prayer to a golden statue of a winged woman that was on a pedestal surrounded by candles. The man stopped and looked at Naruto with a smile.

"Have you come to seek guidance from the goddess Martel, young man?"

Naruto smiled but shook his head.

"Not today. Right now, I'm looking for information on a group of people that consists of a woman with light blue hair by the name of Raine, a man called Kratos and a young girl called Colette, who is the Chosen. Would you happen to have any information on her? Myself and my two friends outside are from the same town she is from. Unfortunately, it was burnt to the ground several days ago by Desians after confusion on both sides as to who had done what."

The man sighed and offered a quick prayer for the departed before looking at Naruto.

"I can tell you are a strong one, young man. The Chosen will need someone like you to protect her from Desians and other perils. They stopped here just last night to rest their bodies."

Naruto nodded.

"Can you tell me where they were headed?"

The moan nodded and looked out the window to his left, where Naruto could see a heat haze signifying a massive increase in temperature.

"She claimed they were going to the seal of fire which is in the Triet desert which you can see out the window. They left only several hours ago. If you hurry, you might be able to catch them."

Naruto nodded and bowed to the man.

"Thank you very much."

The elderly man coughed once and shook it off.

"If it will save us, it is the least I could do. Please be swift. May the Goddess Martel guide your path."

Naruto nodded and turned to leave.

"And yours as well."

The man smiled and watched as Naruto walked back outside, having several words with his younger friends before pointing to at the desert and they left.

"The world is full of interesting people…"

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Several Hours Later:**

Naruto had noticed that the line between open grasslands and desert was far too clear cut for it to be completely natural. However, they pressed on in the heat. Both Lloyd and Genis started to sag under the level of heat, barely having enough strength to fight off snakes and scorpions that seemed intent on killing them. By mid afternoon, Naruto pointed to an area where he could just make out the faint outline of buildings.

"Genis didn't you say that there was a town around an Oasis in this desert?"

Genis squinted, but couldn't see what Naruto was talking about.

"Yeah… It's called Triet…"

Naruto nodded and began walking forward, ignoring the blistering heat.

"That's it then. I suggest we get moving. If they have an oasis, that means I can teach both of you the tree climbing and water walking exercises."

Both boys groaned and trudged on after Naruto, clearly not liking the idea. By late afternoon, they had arrived and stumbled through the entrance to the town. However, Naruto called a halt to them and indicated a group of Desians. Both Lloyd and Genis went on alert as Noishe whined, backing away. Naruto didn't even need to enhance his hearing with chakra to hear their loud voices.

"All right, Lord Forcystus is offering a massive bounty for this wanted criminal Lloyd Irving. His criminal identification number is unknown, but his likeliness is on the wanted posters. However, he has a very powerful blue eyed blond boy with him. The blond is to be regarded with extreme caution, a rank 'C' danger and incapacitated if he attacks us. Both of them are to be brought to Lord Forcystus alive. Got it?"

"YES SIR!"

All of the Desians spread out, while the one who had given them the briefing placed a wanted poster of Lloyd up on the town message board. After that, he began combing the city. Naruto sighed.

"Is that all they ever comment on? My eyes and hair? Geez…"

Naruto walked up to the poster and snorted, trying to contain his laughter.

"That has got to be the worst portrait I have ever seen…"

Genis agreed.

"They'll never find you with that…"

Their bodies were now pumping with adrenaline and the prospect of a meal and a night at the inn. Naruto saw to his left a line of shops, selling just about anything and everything. He turned to have a look.

"Guys, let's stock up. We don't know what could happen soon, so it's best to be prepared."

Both of the boys followed Naruto down the street. Naruto walked past a shop selling what could only be called the weirdest things he'd ever seen. Naruto checked his pockets. They had all up about 1750 Gald. Naruto walked past another shop before stopping at a weapons store. The owner woke up at the sight of three potential customers.

"Ah! Good day sirs! Are you looking for anything specific?"

Naruto nodded.

"I'm looking for a pair of wind affinity blades as well as several other things…"

The man whistled.

"You know your weapons. Well, wind affinity weapons are rare and expensive. But I happen to have a single pair that were forged here in Triet several decades-"

The man didn't get to finish the sales pitch as Naruto lifted the pair he was talking about and examined them, tapping several key points across the blades before looking up at the man.

"Would you mind if I tried channelling some mana through them?"

The man shook his head.

"By all means, please do."

Naruto nodded and concentrated as mana leaked out of oh his hands and into the sword, forming an extended blade of chakra around it. The man's eyes widened as Naruto shut off the chakra and looked at the man.

"What exactly are these blades made of? They're very good conductors for wind."

The man recovered from his shock and answered Naruto's question.

"A mixture of Iron and coal that's been treated with mana to form tempered steel."

Naruto nodded, his brows furrowing.

"I've never heard of it being done with steel before… Still, these blades will do. How much?"

The man nodded.

"500 Gald."

Naruto snorted.

"250."

The man's eyes narrowed.

"500, and I'm not budging."

Naruto smiled. He like haggling on the odd occasion.

"250."

The man narrowed his eyes further.

"450."

Naruto thought about it before answering.

"300."

"400, and I'm not moving. That's it. Take it or leave it."

Naruto nodded and handed over the coins, as the man produced the scabbards for the swords.

"They're a good pair. Take care of them, ok?"

Naruto nodded and handed them to Lloyd.

"Lloyd, these swords are about twice as good as your current ones. The wind channelling abilities of them are far above the ones you have now. If you want, I can save your wooden ones in a scroll for you for sentimental purposes."

Lloyd nodded dumbly and took them, strapping them to his back for now. Naruto looked to Genis.

"Genis, I don't know the first thing about kendama. Pick one that you like and I'll look over these for anything I like."

Genis nodded and began browsing the magic weapons section while Naruto browsed the more melee styles of fighting weapons. He spoke to the man as he browsed.

"Do you have any other wind affinity weapons?"

The man shook his head.

"None that are for sale, I'm sorry."

Naruto nodded and looked up.

"If you want, I can sell you some weapons that you will never have seen before."

The man snorted.

"I've seen every weapon on this planet. I doubt there will be any I haven't-"

"Seen?"

Naruto pulled out several Shuriken, kunai, and finally a Fuuma Shuriken, laying them on the counter.

"This-"

He pointed to the Shuriken.

"Is called a Shuriken. It's a throwing implement used to lay covering fire, attack at long ranges as well as various other things. For example-"

Naruto took one and whipped around, throwing the shuriken straight towards Lloyd's foot, who was making experimental slashes with his new swords. He jumped back as the shuriken whizzed right next to where his foot had been and cleanly cut a scorpion in half. Everyone in the market place had frozen and was now looking at the blond.

"Lloyd, remember, sleep with one eye open. That was a little too close."

Lloyd nodded dumbly as he picked up the shuriken and handed it back to Naruto. Naruto took a kunai off the bench and held it up for the owner to see.

"This is called a kunai. There are several different models, depending on what they're made for. There are ones used only for throwing, while some, like this are used for both throwing and blocking projectiles, such as shuriken. This, on the other hand-"

Naruto picked up the Fuuma Shuriken easily on one hand.

"Is a Fuuma Shuriken. It's main use is for causing wide area destruction, capable of cleaving trees in half. It takes a great deal more skill to use than both regular Shuriken and Kunai combined. If you want, test them out on me."

The man picked up a kunai and flipped it over several times in his hand.

"I'll be damned… I've never seen a weapon like this, or one so well made… What's it made from?"

Naruto smiled.

"A mixture of aluminium for light weight and steel for strength with several coats of a special paint to make it nearly undetectable at night."

The man nodded slowly.

"Whoever made these was a very good weapon smith…"

Naruto nodded.

"She is. She's the weapons mistress of our village, proficient in all forms of armed combat."

The man's eyes widened slightly before nodded, placing them back on the counter and sighing.

"I guess I do have one you can have in exchange for these…"

Naruto smiled as the man walked back under the cloth roof and pulled out a long, thin box. He placed it on the counter and flipped open the catches. He lifted the lid to reveal a very well designed Pole arm. Naruto smiled.

"A lance…"

The man nodded.

"It's the only one our town has ever produced. Made of the highest tensile steel we could get. Try it."

Naruto nodded and carefully lifted the lance out of the box. It was a fairly simple design, a steel handle wrapped in a carefully cured pelt. The tip was a point of sharpened steel. Naruto tried channelling his chakra through it, finding it surprisingly easy to use his wind manipulation to make the chakra form around it and give it an extended blade. Naruto nodded and stopped focusing.

"It's very well made…"

The man nodded.

"I would know. I made it."

Naruto smiled and pulled out a scroll that only had one open area to seal it. He placed the scroll on the ground with the lance on top of it and formed several hand seals ending in a Hebi.

"Weapon Sealing Method!

The scroll flashed, making everyone cover their eyes. Once the light died down, people looked back to see that the circle now had the Kanji for 'weapon' in it. Naruto nodded at his work and picked the scroll up, placing it in one of his jacket's scroll pouches. Naruto nodded to the man.

"It's too bulky to carry around, so I seal things like that away for future use. All I have to do is pull the scroll out and bring it back out when needed."

The man nodded slowly. This was one hell of a weird day. Genis then found what he was looking for.

"Naruto, I found one."

Naruto came over and looked at what Genis was pointing to. He looked at it carefully, brushing his hands over the carefully caved wooden handle, feeling a pulse of chakra come back to him, signifying the tree it had been made from was nurtured with chakra from birth. Naruto could see the others were no where near the quality of this one and picked it up, showing it to the man.

"How much?"

The man thought for a moment.

"You know, you're one of the better customers I've had in a long time. Take it. It's on the house."

Naruto smiled and handed it to Genis.

"Thanks."

The man nodded.

"No problem. Enjoy your day."

"Will do. You to."

The man nodded as they walked off, still not quite believing what had just happened. Naruto went to several other stores, buying various pieces of food like beef, chicken, eggs and some basic vegetables. After he sealed them within a scroll, he walked over to a shop calling itself the 'Heat Storm'. From the looks of things, it was an armour shop of sorts. Naruto looked over the inventory, dismissing the larger pieces of armour instantly and going for the more light weight ones. Naruto explained his reason to his two companions.

"If we were to take the biggest and best, not only would we be out of money, it would turn us into a living oven, cooking us before we even got out of the town. It would also severely restrict my movement, meaning that my main weapon, my speed, would be useless."

Genis agreed readily, while Lloyd had to admit Naruto was right. After browsing some of the leather armours, Naruto went over to the cloth pieces and accessories. He saw a rack of plain sand brown cloaks. He nodded as he came to a conclusion.

"How much for three cloaks?"

The man looked over them.

"300 Gald."

Naruto thought over this. He took the one of the top of the rack and checked it. For 100 Gald, it wasn't by any means a bad deal. It was well made and would protect them from all but the most violent sand storms.

"Deal."

Naruto handed over 300 Gald and took three cloaks. Now, they really only had enough money left for a night at the inn and enough in case of emergency. Naruto was about to call out to Lloyd and Genis when he heard Genis call out.

"Wha? What's with this?"

Naruto turned around to see that there was a human shaped hole in the wall. If anything it was a female… The man next to it turned to them and began talking excitedly.

"Do you see it? It's going to become the next tourist attraction!"

All three boys sweat dropped, until Lloyd realised something.

"No way… The only one who could do something like this is…"

Genis caught on immediately…

"Colette… She's such a klutz sometimes…"

Both boys turned back to Naruto.

"Ok, I suggest we try and find some info on them and then rest for the night at the inn. It's going to get dark soon, and although it's hot now, at night, you'll freeze to death if you stay out there."

Both boys nodded as they headed back up the dead end street and up the path several of the Desians had taken when Naruto gave them the all clear. The oasis came into view. A path wound around it to the right, past a stall selling all types of fish. At the end of the path, there was a single tent. Naruto shrugged and walked in, lifting the flap to see who was inside. The room was filled with all sorts of things Naruto had no idea what they were for, or even what they were. However, in the middle was a woman sitting on a pillow with a crystal ball in front if her. Naruto's eyes widened as he remembered how the Sandaime had one himself.

"So, there are far-gazers here as well…"

Both Lloyd and Genis looked to Naruto for an explanation. Naruto pointed to the crystal ball.

"A very famous man in my home village who passed away several years ago had a ball of crystal like that which he called a far-gazer. He used it from his office to look anywhere within several hundred miles of where he was, seeing anything that was there. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen him do it myself."

Naruto walked up to the woman who seemed to be meditating. He leaned down.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if you could use your far-gazer to tell us if the Chosen's group is anywhere around here."

The woman held out a hand.

"100 Gald per vision…"

Naruto smirked.

"Show me you can use it first. Out of all the people of history, there has only ever been one who could do it, the Sandaime Hokage of my home Village."

The woman smirked slightly.

"It is true I cannot use it yet, however, for 100 Gald, I can tell you where they are."

Naruto smiled and handed over 100 Gald.

"That's better."

The woman nodded and opened her eyes, revealing very bland brown eyes.

"They have stopped by here not 2 hours ago. They asked for me to leave a message for three boys of your description should you have followed them that they are heading right now to the seal of fire to the north east."

Naruto nodded and stood up.

"Thank you."

The woman nodded slowly.

"You are welcome."

The three left the tent and walked back out into the searing afternoon heat. They began walking back to the inn. Once they turned to corner, they heard shouts from behind them.

"There they are!"

Naruto turned around to see three Desians charging up to them. Naruto looked at them deadpanned.

"Desians…"

The leader of the group came up to them with his two subordinates directly behind him. He was full of confidence to the point he was up himself.

"Well, well, well what do we have here… A blond with blue eyes and Lloyd Irving."

He took a casual glance at the wanted poster he had hung up earlier that was right beside him.

"Yup, it's him alright. If we capture both of them we'll be promoted for sure."

Naruto looked at him in a deadpanned expression.

"What constitutes an 'C' rank threat according to you?"

The man's confidence waved.

"What? When did you…"

Naruto sighed.

"You were so loud before that it was impossible not to hear you. Now, are you going to answer my question?"

The man regained his composure and began explaining.

"An 'C' rank threat is someone capable of dealing with several Desian foot soldiers. However, we are not foot-"

"That's right. Not for much longer anyway."

The Desians froze and turned around to see Naruto there.

"What! But wasn't he…"

Behind you? Yes, I was. And still am."

They whipped back around to see both Lloyd and Genis become surrounded by smoke to reveal two more exact duplicates of Naruto. They looked around wildly.

"What? This… This isn't possible! All of them have mana!"

That was the last thing he said as one Naruto threw a shuriken, catching his whip and ripping it from his hand, pinning it against the wall.

"Three foot soldiers? Please…"

Before anyone could see what happened, Naruto ripped out the scroll that he had sealed his lance into and pulled it out, deflecting the crossbow bolt one of the fired and charged at them, hitting them in the backs of the necks with the upper part of the handle, knocking them unconscious. He got out of his attack stance and looked at the lance.

"I'll have to thank Tenten for training me when I get back…"

For the last year, Tenten had agreed to train Naruto with various forms of weapons, from swords to wooden staves. If it wasn't for that training, he wouldn't have a damn clue as to how to use this. Coming back from the 'fortune tellers' tent, he'd detected they had been spotted and made a quick diversion by creating two clones and using a Henge on them to transform into his two companions. He'd sent the real two to make sure there were no more near the front of the village, and had asked them to come back after they had checked. The front of the village was just out of sight behind a stable where Noishe was not a minute ago. He became very worried. It shouldn't have taken them that long to check the front and come back…

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**With Lloyd:**

Lloyd awoke with a pounding headache and his entire body stiff.

"Oh man… What happened to me…"

Lloyd remembered then what had happened. After Naruto sent them to the front of the village, they had found three Desians and taken care of them. The last thing Lloyd remembered was being fried with electricity and then waking up here. He slowly stood up and wobbled over to the bars of his cell. He could hear several guards up the hall way talking.

"Still, you gotta feel sorry for the kid. He's just some shrimp and he's going to be executed with no reason given…"

Lloyd's eyes widened.

"Executed… What the hell?"

The group finished their conversation. Lloyd could hear two pairs of clanking footsteps retreating, while one came closer, just as a guard walked past him, and then back again, obviously on a patrol route. He walked up the hall an then back again, repeating the process. Lloyd checked to see all of his weapons and armour was gone, leaving him with nothing but his clothes and…

"The Sorcerer's Ring…"

Just before Lloyd had met with Naruto, he had helped Colette, Genis and Kratos receive the oracle at the temple just outside Iselia. After many puzzles, they had found the object that let them proceed to the top floor, the Sorcerer's Ring. Now, all it did was shoot a small ball of fire where he directed it in a straight line. He got an idea as the guard walked past again.

"Maybe if I…"

Lloyd waited for the guard to pass again, and timed it so that the ball of fire shot out between the bars an hit the soldier's arm, burning the clothing off and singing the arm in a small area around the site of impact. The guard grabbed his arm and grunted, looking around for his attack and seeing only Lloyd sitting with his back to the bars. He cursed and ran up the hall, going to seek medical treatment. Lloyd jumped up and looked for a way to escape. He saw some sort of thing jutting out from the wall that had a glass dome and a green square on it. He reached out through the bars, trying to touch the button.

"Just a little further…"

Lloyd's finger brushed the button and he fell back as the bars gave a hiss and rose into the ceiling. He looked at it suspiciously before deciding to figure it out later. Right now, he cared more about his gear. He poked his head out to see that he was alone. He slipped out and checked the other two cells next to him, finding some sort of box with a button on top of it. He pressed the button, and the lid clicked open revealing some sort of pelt. He shrugged.

"Could be useful…"

He took it and jammed it into one of his many pockets before checking the last cell to see it was empty. He started back up the hall way and stopped when he saw a room full of strange cords, massive machines and blinking lights with some sort of bench in the middle of it, where a lot of the cords were leading to. However, there was a box that caught his attention up against the wall. It was the same type as the one back in the cell next to his. He walked over to it and pressed the button to reveal his gear which he smiled at, grabbing and re equipping with haste. Lloyd strapped the wooden blades to his back and put the new steel ones on his belt. He snuck up the hall and rounded the corner where two Desians spotted him. There was silence for a moment. One of the Desians pointed at Lloyd.

"It's you! How did you get out?"

Lloyd sweat dropped.

"Oh damn…"

The second Desian readied his weapon and charged in.

"Prison break!"

Lloyd unsheathed his new set of swords and charged them, deflecting the crossbow bolt that the one to the back had shot at him so it struck the metallic walls. Lloyd blocked the horizontal slice from his closer opponent, sending back a swipe of his own. Lloyd was already way out of his element, and he didn't know what these steel boxes with lights were capable of doing, so decided to not use any special attacks. It was then that he remembered some of Naruto's earlier advice.

"A real warrior turns anything he can into training…"

Lloyd blocked another swing from the sword wielding Desian, and noticed the other one was loading another bolt. He ran towards him, catching both Desians by surprise as he brought his right sword down in a vertical strike, severing the Desian's weapon in half. With the pommel of his second sword, he slammed it into his stomach, winding him. The second Desian reacted, charging in to help his comrade just as Naruto struck the back of his target's helmet with the pommel of his other sword, completely knocking him unconscious. The second Desian tried to slow down and calculate his next move, which gave Lloyd the time he needed to knock the sword from the Desian's hand and kick him in the stomach, making him slam up against the wall and fall to the ground unconscious. Lloyd panted and smirked at his handy work. He quickly checked both the Desians, finding about 15 Gald on each, which he quickly pocketed. He could hear a voice coming from one of the unconscious Desian's belts, or more correctly, from a black box on his belt.

"Prison guard 102, do you copy? Please respond!"

Lloyd on impulse grabbed the box and spoke into it.

"Prison Guard 102, responding."

"What took you so long?"

Lloyd was still panting, which the person speaking out of the box caught onto.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, the prisoner just woke up and started causing a racket. We've managed to get him back in his cell after knocking him out."

There was silence for a moment before the thing talked again.

"Well, we're sending down several patrollers in your area just to make sure. Lord Bota was very specific as to that prisoner's status."

Lloyd froze for a second before answering.

"It' fine, we've got him under control. The only damage he inflicted was burning one of us with a ring on his hand."

"A ring?"

"Yeah. He pointed the ring at us and a small ball of fire came out of it. We've confiscated the ring and made sure he doesn't have anything else on him."

There was silence for a second before a response came in.

"How is prison guard 104?"

Lloyd assumed he meant the one armed with the crossbow.

"He's fine. He's just resting. He got a punch to the helmet which he's recovering from."

Just them, alarms sounded and he heard the black box click. Lloyd cursed and threw it against the wall, making it shatter as he charged up the hallway and through a pair of doors to reveal a room with some sort of blue cone taking up the majority of the room. Lloyd looked around desperately, seeing two doors. He started towards one when he heard shouts coming from it. He froze and jumped down into the hole in the ground that was surrounding the blue cone pillar, hiding from view. Not 3 seconds later, the doors opened and two guards charged into the room. One pointed to the other side of the room.

"Check that side and the storage bay door and make sure it's locked from the inside! I'll check this side and the prison area!"

The guard nodded.

"Yes sir!"

Both guards walked around the room. The one checking the storage bay found the door was locked and proceeded around the room to wait at the door Lloyd had just come from. About 15 seconds later, the other guard came out and looked at his companion.

"Find anything?"

The guard shook his head.

"Not a think sir. The door is locked securely from the inside and the panel hasn't been touched in over half an hour."

"What? There's only three doors off this room! One he came out of, the other locked and the other we came through! It's like he vanished into thin air!"

The other guard sighed.

"We don't know what the kid's capable of. His blond companion is rumoured to have some sort of advanced skill with mana. He might have something to do with it."

The other guard snorted.

"This place is rigged up to detect any and all mana used. If that was true, we'd know right away."

The other guard nodded.

"That's true… What should we do sir?"

The guard gave one last look around the room.

"Inform all other guards you meet to be on the look out. I'm reporting this to command. A kid in red like that can't be that hard to miss…"

The other nodded and ran towards the door until he groaned.

"I forgot… We have to electrocute these damn things in order for the door to open… What a pain…"

The other guard nodded.

"Yeah, a complete pain in the ass. Take the other one, would you?"

The guard nodded and began walking over to the other side of the room. Lloyd heard a crackling sound from next to each of the guards and then a click, followed by a beep as the doors hissed open. Both guards walked through the door and shut, clicking again. Lloyd waited for several more moments before he jumped back up.

"Red, red, red, do my clothes stand out that much? Sheesh…"

"Lloyd remembered the strange device he's seen right in front of the door he came through and looked back. It looked like a multitude of cyan rings floating in the air, spinning around some sort of light the same colour of Genis's and Raine's hair. He walked up to it and saw two buttons on the upper most ring. Even though the ring was spinning, the buttons stayed still.

"What the hell is this place… This is some of the weirdest things I've ever seen… I guess I could try pressing one…"

"Lloyd went for the green button and pressed it. The green button disappeared as the ball of light broke apart into many smaller ones, and flew back, before halting and flying right at Lloyd. Lloyd cried out and held up his hands to shield his face. After several seconds, he slowly opened his eyes to see that the sorcerer's ring was now glowing with the same light as the ball. Lloyd waved it around, seeing the occasional small bolt of electricity come from the now lightning blue gem. Lloyd shrugged it off, deciding to figure all of this out later. He saw several flying pieces of metal with flaps attached to the side like wings hovering around the room. All of them had a tube attached to the underside of them and a red light that gave Lloyd the impression that it was an eye of some sort. He remembered the guards saying they had to electrocute them to open the doors. He saw two lines of glass running along the ground from the door to two square blue pads which the flying things flew over every now and again. Lloyd walked up behind one, seeing it didn't notice him. Lloyd followed it until it went over the panel and used the sorcerer's ring, surprised that a ball of lightning came out instead of a ball of fire. It hit the thing just as it was over the middle of the panel and it started smoking. Its flap wings went crazy while it tried to stay in the air. Lloyd saw that the line of glass leading from the pad to the door was now an electric blue. He didn't know how long it would last, so he ran over to behind the other one and did the same to it, and saw the door open. He charged for the door, hoping to make it in time. Just as he reached the door, the first one returned to normal and the door hissed before starting to close. Lloyd sprinted and jumped, rolling through the door just as it clicked shut. After quickly looking around to make sure the hallway was clear he let out a sigh and wiped his brow.

"That was way too close…"

After Lloyd got up, he saw the hallway branching to the right down a set of stairs and straight ahead, up a set of stairs. He could hear the whine of machinery coming from both so he decided to take the path on the right. Just as he was about to round the corner, he froze as he heard clanking footsteps and voices.

"Did you hear? The prisoner got out and they can't find him! How can they miss him in a place like this?"

"I have no clue. We've got guards patrolling every single hallway, and we haven't seen him. It's really like he really did disappear…"

Lloyd froze as they came up the stairs and passed within three feet of him before walking the other way, up the stairs. Lloyd sighed and headed down the stairs, entering a room that was filled machinery. There was an elliptical doorway at the end, with some sort of track leading to it from a circle of different coloured metal in the centre of the room. After taking this all in, he noticed one of the weird item boxes from before, so he ran over to it and opened it to reveal a pair of Apple Gels with a tag saying _'Franks, hands off'_ on them. Lloyd ripped the tags off and started walking out when he walked by a yellow machine that clicked a whirred. Lloyd looked at it and scratched his head.

"There are so many weird things here… Let's see what this one does…"

He pressed a button and a black piece of glass came to life, displaying a message.

'_Welcome to the refresher store. Please enter your ID card for your monthly allowance of gels. Otherwise, please chose from the following selection to buy.'_

Lloyd was amazed as a list of Gels came up, as well as another item he'd never head of before.

"What the hell is a 'Magic Lens'?"

It was only 10 Gald for one, so he chose it with the button next to it and after selecting two, the screen asked him to put 20 Gald into the coin slot. Lloyd heard a clink and saw that a metal plate had now slipped partially open to reveal a hole big enough for Gald pieces. He deposited 20 and heard the machine whirr again. Two things that looked like golden magnifying glasses came down into a tray near the bottom of the machine. Lloyd picked them up and looked over them, barely paying attention to the thank you message that disappeared before the machine stopped. Lloyd smiled and pocketed them.

"Cool! You can buy things from this one!"

Lloyd went back out of the room, checking for the guards. He walked slowly up to the junction and just restrained himself from sighing. He'd come at the worst possible time… The guards were now coming on the back leg of their journey. If Lloyd walked back now, they'd hear him and he'd be caught again. All he could do was wait and hope for the best. They drew level with the junction as Lloyd's heart caught in his throat. However, the guards continued walking passed, in the direction Lloyd had originally come from. Taking this as his opportunity, he slipped passed them and quietly up the stairs. When he entered the next room, he saw a blue circle on the floor made of the same stuff the rings were that held the ball of light in the first room. On it were six coloured circles arranged in two rings. Each ring had a blue, green and red circle. The outer circles pointed to pretty much nothing, but the inner circles seemed to point towards the three doors in the room. The red inner red circle pointed towards a door to Lloyd's right, while the inner green circle pointed to a door on Lloyd's left. Currently, both blue circles were aligned and pointing towards the door Lloyd had just come through. He noticed a strange machine coming out of the floor behind the circle as well as three rotating poles with electricity sparking off them randomly. He knew if he took too long, the guards would come back up and find him, so he ran around the main circle and up to the strange machine. He pressed a green button as it began an explanation.

'_Using Volt Style Mana on the electrical pylons, turn the circles to open the corresponding doors. The poles relate to a 90 degree, 45 degree and 20 degree turn in order from top to bottom-'_

Lloyd didn't even listen to the rest of it and he grabbed his head.

"What is with this place? I didn't get any of that!"

Lloyd looked up at the poles and decided to go for it. He could hear the guards returning so he shot the electrical energy from the Sorcerer's Ring at the pole which hummed and crackled violently as he heard a click and the door he came through locked. The outer coloured circles began moving, taking a 90 degree spin clockwise. The green circle aligned with the inner green one and the room's lighting flashed green before Lloyd heard a click and saw the door to his left open. He charged, not caring where it took him, as long as it was away from here. He ran through, entering a small room with metal cabinets that had names on them. He ignored them and straight to a door that said 'exit'. He ran up to it, but it refused to open. Lloyd punched the door.

"Damn it! After I've come all this way, I can't leave? Gah!"

Lloyd turned around and noticed where he was. He saw several partially opened doors to the cabinets and walked up to the, seeing boxes with the green lights on them. He pressed the light and his eyes widened as he saw that it was filled with numerous 20 Gald pieces.

"Jackpot!'

Lloyd took them, not caring which Desian they belonged too and looked to see another one. He opened it to reveal a bottle of liquid he recognised as a Life Bottle. Pocketing his stolen goods, he ran back into the other room to hear the guards pounding on the door. He paid no attention to them and went back up to the top pole. He saw that there was a circle on the raised platform, with one quarter of it coloured orange. The next one had half of that, while the one after had half of that. Lloyd shrugged and shot the pole again as the circles began moving. None of them lined up, but Lloyd did manage to see something.

"Oh, I get it! If I shoot this pole here, the outer thing will go a quarter of the way around! Heh, I'm pretty smart."

Lloyd then noticed that the only door he hadn't tired was the red door. The red light was less than a quarter of a circle away from the inner red circle.

"If I use this one again… The Red circles will go past each other and I'll have to go around again… I wonder…"

Lloyd stepped off the platform, the guards still beating on the door. He walked up to the third one and shot it, making the red circle move a tiny bit to the right and line up, unlocking the last room. Lloyd smiled as he charged through the door, entering a very well decorated room. He sighed and wiped his brow.

"Man that was way too close…"

"And who exactly are you?"

Lloyd whipped around to see a man with cyan hair drawn back into a pony tail. He wore a black cloak. He raised his gloved hand at Lloyd and started gathering mana in the palm. Lloyd recovered from his shock and struck a confident pose.

"Give me your name and I'll give you mine."

The pony tailed man smirked.

"You've got guts, I like that. However, I don't see the need to introduce myself to a fool like yourself."

Lloyd smirked.

"What a coincidence, because I don't see the need to introduce myself to a moron who doesn't realise how pathetic he is."

The man's face twisted into a grimace.

"Why you miserable little-"

Lloyd didn't give him the chace and unsheathed his sword, going for a horizontal swing to his mid section. However, the man dodged it with ease, giving Lloyd a dead panned look. Lloyd's eyes widened considerably.

'_This guy isn't a chump like the rest of them…'_

At that moment, the door Lloyd came though opened, revealing the man that had attacked Iselia at the temple the day he had met Naruto.

"It's you! You're the Desian who attacked Iselia!"

One of the several guards smirked.

"They still think we're Desians…"

The man in grey robes who was known as Bota looked to the other major occupant in the room.

"Sire, we've received reports that the Chosen's group has infiltrated the facility. The blond human has completely decimated any forces that have gotten in his way with the help of the Chosen's group. They will be here shortly."

The man nodded.

"Our plans will be ruined if he sees me. Bota, I'm leaving the rest to you."

Bota nodded.

"Understood."

The man looked back at Lloyd with narrowed eyes.

"The next time we meet, Lloyd, you're mine."

With that, the man ran out of the door to the back of the room. Just then, the door flew open, revealing a very pissed off Naruto. Naruto looked at Bota.

"So, you're the one running things around here. I'll hand it to you; this place is a work of genius. However, you have no where to run to."

He smirked and withdrew a massive red weapon that looked like a cross between an axe and a sword. Lloyd smiled at Naruto.

"Naruto!"

Naruto smiled at Lloyd.

"I had a feeling you would be fine, Lloyd. We can talk later, for now, let's take care of this guy."

Lloyd agreed and sided up to Naruto, Genis taking his other side while Kratos stepped in behind them. The others split up and tried too keep the swarms of guards out of the room that were coming in from each door. Naruto put his lance into an offensive position, while Kratos unsheathed his steel long sword and Genis started charging a spell. Naruto ran forward, with Lloyd by their side. Kratos was right behind them. Naruto called out to Lloyd and Kratos.

"Lloyd, Kratos! I need both of you to keep the underlings off my back! Genis, give them support! Once you deal with them, help me with this one!"

All three of them nodded and separated to take care of the foot soldiers, who charged forwards, curved sabres in hand. Kratos' sword met with his opponents several times before he sliced him across the chest, making him drop the sword and clutch his chest. He gasped out and gurgled as blood began filling his lungs. Kratos ended his life by stabbing him through the chest and went to join Naruto with Bota. Lloyd completely severed his opponent's blade near the hilt, making the soldier back away.

"No way… That was tempered steel!"

Lloyd smiled as he ran up, aiming a slice for his head, but feinted and kneed the guard in the ribs, cracking his sternum and he immediately fell unconscious. Lloyd saw both Naruto and Kratos fending off Bota's massive weapon, while Genis had just completed a trio of fireballs which he launched at Bota. Bota was preparing for some sort of spell as a mana circle formed on the floor around him. Lloyd didn't give him the chance and charged up behind him, letting lose a war cry and thrusting his sword straight at Bota's unprotected back. What surprised him though was that Bota still had the ability to block Lloyd's attack, as well as Genis' with his weapon and keep channelling the spell.

"Stalagmite!'

Bota brought the blade up and then down as he plunged it into the ground, letting rock chunks fly outwards from the tip of the sword. Lloyd managed to deflect the first few, but the ones after that kept pummelling him and eventually sent him flying back against the wall. He collapsed and groaned as, feeling like he'd just been hit by a boulder. This wasn't exactly incorrect, as he had just been hit by numerous flying rocks. Colette called out to her childhood friend in horror.

"Lloyd!"

Naruto called back to Colette.

"Colette! Focus on your fight! Lloyd's strong enough to survive that!"

Colette nodded and went back to throwing her twin chakrams at the incoming enemies. Naruto looked at Kratos, who nodded and fell back, beginning to channel as spell. Naruto focused the chakra blade to extend a little further as he charged inwards to keep Bota off Kratos until he could finish. Naruto would have loved to go all out, and use a couple of Jutsu, but there was far too high a chance of friendly fire if he did. Bota brought his sword around in a sweep, which Naruto met with his lance. The weapons were locked so that the points were directly pointed at each other's heads. Naruto smirked as he let out a cry and announced his spell.

"Chakra Lance!"

Bota saw the mana come out of Naruto's hand and up the lance, extending the blade with mana. He cursed and dropped downwards, just missing having his head impaled. Kratos finished his spell, which he directed at Lloyd.

"First Aid!"

Lloyd immediately felt his wounds heal, and he stood back up, giving a nod to  
Kratos before charging in, just as Bota recovered.

"Take this! Sword Rain!"

Bota looked surprised for a moment as Lloyd let lose a lightning fast volley of thrusts, few of which he could block. One of them stuck his forearm, making him drop his weapon. He glared at Lloyd and the others.

"I vastly underestimated you powers… We will most certainly meet again. Until then, goodbye."

Bota took advantage of his numerous opponents temporarily lapse of fighting to escape through the door the other man had escaped through. Naruto sighed and deactivated his chakra lance, while the others sheathed their weapons, since the enemies started to retreat. Naruto sighed and smiled at Lloyd.

"Not bad, Lloyd."

Lloyd smiled and sheathed his swords.

"Speak for yourself. Can you teach me how to do that?"

Naruto smirked.

"In time. Remember, basics first, and then cool stuff."

Lloyd nodded and turned to everyone else.

"So, you guys came to rescue me?"

Naruto snorted but nodded.

"I can't leave you alone for 2 minutes without something like this happening, can I?"

Lloyd glared back at Naruto.

"Hey! It's not like I asked for this!"

Both boys glared at each other before turning to look at the others. Naruto retuned to normal.

"Well, this wasn't exactly how I expected to meet…"

Raine nodded.

"Yes, it's not exactly the most common meeting place…"

Naruto shrugged and turned to the man that was Kratos. Kratos was a rather tall, red headed man with brown eyes. He wore some form of blue suit that had two pointed 'tails' of sorts coming down from either side of the back part of his belt. He was armed with a moderate length steel sword and a wooden shield that had obviously seen numerous battles. Kratos had an air of confidence around him, much like Naruto's. The type that could only be gained from many life or death experiences. Naruto looked at Kratos and saw a tinge of something familiar, which he shook off and extended his hand.

"So you're Kratos. I'm Naruto."

Kratos took it and gave a firm hand shake, and a slight nod of acknowledgment. Naruto looked at Colette.

"Colette, while I can understand that you want to protect Lloyd, I'm extremely disappointed in you that you would lie to me and deny me a way back home to protect him."

Colette looked away.

"I'm sorry, Naruto…"

Naruto shrugged it off and smiled widely.

"Even so, we still ended up tagging along."

Naruto's grin was infectious, and everyone buy the stoic Kratos either smiled or smirked. Kratos looked around and then back at the group.

"I suggest we continue the introductions and catch up later. For now, we had best leave."

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"They could just be looking to regather before assaulting us again. Let's move."

Before they were able to leave, Raine noticed the weapon Bota had dropped, or more specifically, a part of it. She bent down and touched it.

"Lloyd, is this gem an Exsphere?"

Lloyd looked at it and nodded.

"Yeah. Take it with you. Ask Genis how to use one."

Raine nodded and detached the Exsphere from the weapon, running out of the room with the rest of them.

All of them entered the strange door locking room, lining up the way to the exit with the circles and reaching the exit which was still locked. Raine looked over the panel and sighed.

"It's locked remotely… I can't do anything…"

Naruto nodded and stepped forward.

"All of you; get into the room behind me. I'm going to blow it open."

Everyone's eyes widened but they nodded and left while Naruto pulled out several explosive seals, slapping them on the middle of the door. Once the trio of notes were set, Naruto primed them and left into the room behind them where the others were waiting.

"All of you stay here, I'm going to set them off."

Naruto pointed two fingers towards the door and his eyebrows narrowed. They heard a massive explosion rock the facility. After a while, Naruto nodded.

"It should be fine now. Let's move."

All of the charged through the door led by Naruto and out into the early morning desert sunlight, heading back towards Triet.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** Oh my god, this is going to be a very, very long fic. I haven't even gotten up to the point where they release the first seal yet and I've already done 2 over 10k word chapters… Well, I'll catch you around.

Ja na,

Specula.


	3. Fire Seal

**A/N:** Yo! I just thought of another possible job I can do… Motivational speech writer. Apart from that, the only thing I have to say up here is I apologise for not updating for so long, especially to those who told me to hurry up because they were bored. To those two or so who did, all I have to say is; do us a favour and sod off. It's hard enough with full time work where I have no access to a computer, but by the time I'm done with seven and a half hours of work to save people's ungrateful lives, I'm usually pretty tired. An especially big sod off to the idiot who told me to hurry up less than 12 hours after the last chapter was uploaded. For the rest of you, I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

As a final hint to those who haven't realised, mana equals chakra. They're the same things, which is why I use the terms interchangeably.

Thanks again to my beta, Kyuubi no Yoko 9.

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU/SPELL..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Two Worlds, Two Ninja:

Chapter Two:

Fire Seal:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**After the Escape:**

All six people and one animal hastily left the structure behind, blending into the desert dunes and heading back to Triet to discuss their plans. They arrived around midmorning, and took a rest in the inn. They were all in one room as they caught up and decided to discuss what needed to be done. Lloyd smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Naruto, you were right. There are times I need to fight with my hands and not my swords…"

Naruto smirked and put a hand on Lloyd's shoulder.

"Now that you've realised that, do you want to learn how to fight with your body when you can't use weapons?"

Lloyd nodded enthusiastically as Naruto looked at him sternly.

"Lloyd, my teaching methods are harsh. I've been given 4 teams of people slightly younger than you with more ability to control their mana than you do. All of them failed miserably. Are you sure you want to do this? Genis, I'm talking to you as well."

Lloyd faltered for a moment while Genis was taken aback.

"What? But I'm not suited to melee fighting!"

Naruto looked at Genis dead panned.

"This is the same thing with Lloyd and his swords. What about if an enemy manages to get passed your friends and next to you before you can finish your spell?"

Genis had nothing to say in reply to that. Both boys nodded after several moments thought. Lloyd spoke for them.

"We have to get stronger… We need to be strong enough to protect our friends and each other…"

Naruto smiled.

"And that's why all of them failed miserably."

Everyone looked at Naruto for an explanation.

"Because they thought that they were strong enough to do everything by themselves, and everyone else was dead weight. I can see that you're going to be very different from them."

Kratos looked out the window as he spoke in an aloof manner.

"You sound confident in their abilities."

Naruto turned to Kratos and gave him a piercing stare.

"Lloyd and Genis have the potential to surpass nearly everyone in this room. Maybe even myself. Don't let that go to your head, Lloyd. It's big enough as it is."

Lloyd was brought back down from cloud nine and glared at Naruto.

"What did you say?"

Naruto glared at Lloyd who glared back at him.

"I said your ego is big enough as it is."

"Take that back!"

Naruto smirked and turned around.

"No, Lloyd. Your ego could very well be the death of you. I could educate you the way my Sensei did when he took me and my two team mates on, but I don't think you'd appreciate it."

Lloyd smirked.

"Oh? And how did he do that?"

Naruto groaned at the memory.

"He gave me a super ass poke that made me land nearly 20 meters away."

Every one in the room face faulted. Lloyd recovered first.

"What the hell kind of a lesson is that?"

Naruto turned around, a glint in his eye that promised pain.

"Want to find out?"

Lloyd sweat dropped and waved his hands nervously in front of him.

"Uh, no it's alright…."

Naruto smirked and leant up against the wall.

"Good to hear."

Slowly, everyone else recovered. Raine shook her head in disbelief.

"I can understand making them hold buckets of water, but prodding their behinds?"

Naruto nodded solemnly.

"It works wonders for egos. Believe me."

Kratos sighed, making everyone look at him.

"If you've finished talking about effective forms of punishment, I suggest we start discussing how we plan to release the seal of fire."

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. But I don't think we can do much but plan accordingly once we get inside…"

Everyone nodded as Naruto thought about how long it would take to release the seal.

"Assuming the seal would take half a day to release, by that stage, it would be nightfall. We would have to camp at the seal."

Raine nodded.

"Indeed. Travelling the desert by night is foolhardy. Ultimately, it is up to Colette as to when to release it."

The room focused on the blond girl who piped up at the mention of her name.

"Me?"

Everyone sweat dropped. Lloyd answered her in a dead panned tone.

"Yes you, Colette."

Colette put a finger to her lips while she thought, before smiling widely.

"I'll leave it to you, Lloyd."

Everyone sweat dropped again. Lloyd looked around before turning to Naruto.

"Naruto, what do you think?"

Naruto looked over everyone in the room.

"I say we head out tomorrow. After all, I can teach both of you the basics of the tree climbing exercise."

Raine looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow.

"Tree climbing exercise?"

Naruto nodded and turned around, walking up the wall, much to everyone's amazement.

"This is what the tree climbing exercise will enable you to do."

Kratos' eyes narrowed, but he said nothing while Raine gasped.

"He's using mana to stick to the wall!"

Naruto nodded as he walked upwards and onto the roof, hanging upside down.

"This is the very first exercise in chakra, or as you would call it, mana control."

Genis remembered what Naruto had said on the way to Triet.

"Didn't you say the second stage was water walking?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. The second stage will teach you how to walk on water. The third stage will teach you how to aid your body's movements with mana, such as jumping onto the rooves of buildings like you saw me do when I met you."

Lloyd turned to the wall, full of determination when Naruto stopped him.

"Lloyd, let me make a suggestion to you. If you do it in here, the walls are going to be ruined beyond repair. This is what happens when you release only a little too much mana."

Naruto increased his chakra by the smallest amount, making him drop to the floor. He half flipped and landed on his feet, pointing up to the ceiling. Everyone saw that there was now a small crack in the stone where Naruto's feet had been. Raine looked back at Naruto suspiciously.

"Naruto, I have studied many forms of mana applications, but I have never heard of this kind of mana usage even theorised before. Who exactly are you?"

Naruto looked at Raine and stayed silent for a moment.

"I will tell you exactly who I am when I'm ready. Do not push me for my identity, place of birth or anything about my past. Once I feel I can trust you enough, I will tell you who I am. Not even my closest friends back home know me as well as they think they do."

Everyone digested this information before Naruto sighed, shaking his head.

"Sorry Raine. My past is not something to take lightly. You'll see why eventually. I'm surprised I've managed to keep it secret as long as I have…"

Kratos nodded slowly.

"Some people's pasts are filled with horrors and mistakes that are best left alone."

Naruto nodded in agreement as he walked up to the window and leaned on the windowsill.

"I suggest spending the day training and getting an early night's sleep before heading out at day break. The heat should be bearable early in the morning. Anyone who wants to watch us train, feel free to do so. Lloyd, Genis, let's head to the Oasis. We can do both stages there, assuming you can finish the first one before we leave."

Everyone wanted to see how Naruto was going to teach them, so they walked outside and to the Oasis. When Naruto was there, he walked up to a tree and then looked back at them.

"Chakra, or mana as you guys call it is one of the main things that keep us alive. Without it, we will die. There are a lot of things we can do with mana, depending on the form we decide to manifest it in. For example, we can manifest it through a weapon in the form of a weapon attack, such as Lloyd's Sonic Thrust or we can use it in the form of healing, such as Kratos' First Aid. However, the uses of mana are essentially limitless. Mana can be used to help us do things we normally couldn't, such as walking up vertical surfaces, walking on water, or even lifting weight we never could before."

Raine put her chin in the crook of her thumb and index finger as she thought, digesting this information.

"Lloyd, I think you learn best with your body. Once you start doing it, you'll get the hang of it. Genis on the other had, is better at the theoretical parts of it. Without going into a long boring explanation, you can gather chakra to anywhere in your body. However, for the majority of us, the only places we can manifest chakra is in our hands, or a few of us with our feet."

Raine nodded in agreement.

"That is true."

Naruto turned to Genis as he continued the explanation.

"Genis, you have a rather small supply of mana, but you have perfect control over it."

Genis's eyes widened but nodded. Naruto turned to Lloyd.

"Lloyd, you have a massive supply of mana, far more than someone your age should have, but you can't control it properly, meaning you waste about 3 times as much as you need to in order for you to do something Genis could do."

Genis smirked, while Lloyd looked away. Naruto looked at Genis.

"However, if you were both to cast the same spells, both of you would end up casting about the same number before being exhausted. Genis, this exercise will allow you to increase your stamina, which will allow you to slowly building your supplies of mana. Lloyd, this is going to also increase your supplies of mana, as well as teach you how to control it better. With the lesson I gave you on the way here, focus your mana to the soles of you feet. Although these trees are short, they should be a good start. I want you both to run up the tree using only your feet, and get to the top. Once you can do that, I want you to run up and then down again without falling off. If you can do that, I'll move you onto the water walking. Remember, too much mana, and the tree will repel you. Too little, and you'll lose your grip. Go for it."

Lloyd charged at the tree, getting two steps up before the bark crunched under his foot, sending him falling to the ground and hitting his head. Genis focused for a moment before running at the tree, getting all the way to the top before turning around and going back down. Genis smirked.

"That was easy."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Well, now that you've done that, you have to wait for Lloyd to finish."

Genis saw Lloyd getting to his feet and staring at the tree with a mixture of hatred and determination. He walked back a couple of steps and was about to go in for another attempt when Naruto stopped him.

"Lloyd, I suggest focusing your mana first instead of doing it when you get there."

Lloyd nodded and closed his eyes before charging at the tree. He made it right to the top and then realised he was going too fast to turn around and ran right through the leaves and into the air. Everyone looked in horror as Lloyd started plummeting to the ground head first.

"LLOYD!"

They saw Lloyd several meters away from the ground when Naruto disappeared and reappeared underneath Lloyd and caught him. Lloyd looked surprised for a second as Naruto put him down. Everyone stared at Naruto in shock.

"I didn't even see him move…"

Kratos' eyes narrowed.

"He used no mana to aid those movements, meaning it was natural speed."

Colette looked at Naruto with stars in her eyes.

"Wow! Naruto's really strong!"

Naruto nodded and pointed to the tree, making sure the subject didn't go down that path again.

"Give it another try, Lloyd. Try slowing down near the top so you can turn back around."

Lloyd nodded and focused, before running at the tree. Half way up, he slowed down so that by the time he got to the top, he could turn around. He ran back down the tree and hopped onto the ground looking back up at the tree with a wide smile plastered on his face.

"I did it…"

By now, several of the villagers had gathered around and were watching in awe. They were about to be shocked beyond belief. Naruto walked the several steps to the pier that led out into the water of the oasis. He turned back to them.

"Walking on water is the next stage. To sum it up in a nutshell, you have to release a constant amount of mana out of your feet into the water to displace your body weight. The more you weigh the more mana you have to use. Apart from that, it's just practice."

Naruto focused for a second and stepped out into the water. Everyone expected him to fall in, but gasped when his foot touched it like it was a solid surface. Naruto continued walking out before standing in the middle, looking at them.

"And this is the result. This exercise is 10 times more difficult than the tree climbing exercise. If they were available, I would have gotten you to climb 50 meter trees instead of these 4 meter ones, but I had to improvise. Go for it you two."

They nodded and tried. Predictably, both of them fell in. Naruto walked back over to the group. Naruto looked at Raine as he thought of something.

"Raine, you've seen how I don't use mana circles, but hand seals to mould mana for spells right?"

Raine nodded.

"I have. What about it?"

"What are the advantages of a mana circle?"

Raine answered out of habit, continuing to watch Lloyd and Genis fall in again.

"Mana circles allow us to focus mana into the form desired. For upper ranking spells, usually a few choice words are used as well. I assume it's the same as you calling out your spell names. Vocalisation seems to help."

Naruto nodded.

"Are there any rules you need to follow for a mana circle?"

Raine nodded slowly, seeing both boys fall back in a third time.

"Mana circles must always have the same design, as well as the colour of their element."

Naruto nodded. Making a mana circle would be far too troublesome, as a lazy friend of his back home would have said. At the sudden remembrance of home, Naruto wondered how they were doing.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Back on Naruto's World:**

Shikamaru was playing a game of Shougi with Asuma and was lifting his piece to place it in checkmate when he let forth a violent sneeze, making him place it in a legal, but rather stupid move. Shikamaru rubbed his nose.

"I wonder who's talking about me now… If it's my mum, I'm not looking forward to going home…"

Asuma smirked and placed his piece in a checkmate position, making Shikamaru look at what had happened. He'd just lost his first game of Shougi. He grumbled.

"When I find that person, I'll make sure I do something that would normally be too troublesome to do."

Asuma sat back and smiled, silently thanking whoever it was.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**At Konoha Hospital:**

Team Seven had just reported back, suffering moderate injuries. Sakura was still sobbing while Kakashi looked completely dejected. When Tsunade came in, her eyes narrowed at the missing blond.

"Kakashi, where is Naruto?"

Kakashi shook his head slowly. Tsunade grabbed his jacket, despite the fact he was injured and glared at him.

"WHERE IS HE? YOU HAD BETTER TELL ME NOW, OR I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN NEVER GO BACK ON ACTIVE DUTY AGAIN!"

Kakashi winced at Tsunade's bellowing and her painful grip on his clothing.

"Sasuke was going to stab Naruto through the throat with his Kusanagi, so I used my dimensional transfer Doujutsu on him, but Naruto took the blow for Sasuke…"

Tsunade dropped Kakashi and fell back several steps, horror coming over her face.

"No… Not again… Not three times…"

At that point, a smiling Jiraiya came into the room. He promptly stopped smiling when he saw how everyone was acting, and the lack of everyone's favourite energetic blond. Jiraiya did not restrain his anger, slamming his fist into the wall, completely shattering it. He leaned against what remained of it.

"Damn it… I failed… AGAIN!"

Jiraiya let lose another punch, breaking away the rest of the wall. At that point, several ANBU and nurses came in to see what the commotion was about. They quickly made the same assessment Jiraiya had. The nurses, who were somewhat relived kept quiet. Part of the Oath they were required to take in order to become a healer was the fact that a life was a life, regardless of what that life had done to others. Naruto was no exception. The ANBU grunted in frustration. While Naruto was annoying, he was the unofficial moral booster of the Hokage, and therefore the entire village. Without him around, Tsunade tended to day dream and shirk her work. If he was dead, they would most likely have to replace her. Jiraiya thought of something and bit his thumb, forming the hand seals for a summon. He slammed his palm onto the ground, summoning a frog he knew Naruto particularly liked that wouldn't crush the entire hospital. Once the smoke cleared, Jiraiya stared at the frog that waved at him casually.

"Yo, Jiraiya! If you want me to play, give me a snack!"

Jiraiya was very tempted to boot the frog out the window.

"Don't give me that!"

The frog looked around and saw everyone in a state of dispar, smirking.

"What's with you lot? You look like you're at a funeral. Lighten up."

Tsunade went to strangle the frog that waved his hands at her.

"Wait a minute! I didn't get to finish!"

Tsunade was standing over the frog, flames surrounding her that showed off any anger her rapidly twitching brow failed to show.

"Depending on how you finish, I may or may not let you live."

The frog sweat dropped.

"Uh, Naruto asked me to give you a message."

Everyone's eyes shot up at that, and focused on the frog. Gamakichi snorted at them.

"That got your attention, didn't it?"

He was overcome with the feeling of impending doom. The feeling you get when you say something and everyone stares at you, not saying anything or moving a muscle. Gamakichi decided it would be wise to just blurt it out.

"Ok, ok jeez. You guys are no fun. Anyway, he said to say he's alive and fine. Apparently, his idiot of a Sensei used his dimensional transferring jutsu on him. He's on another world called… What was it… Sylv… Sylver… Ah that's it! Sylvarant!"

Everyone digested this information before Sakura snorted.

"Trust Naruto to come up with some hair brained idea like that to make us worry. When I get my hands on him, I'm going to strangle him!"

Jiraiya looked at Gamakichi.

"Are you lying to us?"

Gamakichi glared at Jiraiya.

"It's bad enough that we've become messengers, but now we're lying messengers? I really should ask pops to smack you around a bit! Seriously though, I've never seen a world like it. Its plants are very different than ours, they have things called Summon Spirits, and they all have funny names and one crazy woman even tried to make me a research subject!"

Gamakichi waved his hands around, exasperated.

"It's true! I sware!"

Jiraiya looked up at the others and nodded before looking back down at the frog.

"Where is this… Sylvarant?"

Gamakichi shrugged, which looked somewhat strange when a frog tries.

"Beats me. I didn't recognise any constellations, and they called chakra mana. Apparently, there are angels there!"

Kakashi looked at Tsunade, in a rather concerned fashion.

"Tsunade-Sama, did you happen to put some sort of hallucinogenic in my IV drip? I could have sworn I heard him say there were angels there…"

Tsunade smacked her head.

"Either we're all drunk on a minuscule amount of Sake, or we did just hear that, Kakashi."

Kakashi turned to Gamakichi, with a perverted blush on his face.

"Are they cute?"

Sakura smacked Kakashi over the head.

"BAKA!"

Kakashi rubbed his head gingerly.

"Hey, I'm injured here…"

Jiraiya hadn't missed a beat, whipping out his 'research notebook' and was furiously scribbling down ideas for the latest edition to the Icha Icha series when he felt everyone look at him. Jiraiya slowly put the book away and chuckled nervously.

"I have to please the fans somehow…"

Tsunade ignored him and turned back to Gamakichi.

"Is there any way for Naruto to get back to our world?"

Gamakichi snorted and looked away.

"You created the problem, fix it yourself."

Jiraiya tried to change the subject so as their only form of communication with Naruto didn't suddenly find itself flying through the air towards the Wind Country.

"Can you give him a message for us?"

Gamakichi looked up at Jiraiya with a look of pure determination.

"Give me a snack, or I won't do it."

Tsunade readied her fist by cracking her knuckles.

"What was that?"

Gamakichi waved his hands in front of him again, using one of his rare moments of insight to save his own skin.

"Hey! If you kill me, how am I supposed to give the message to him?"

Tsunade hesitantly backed down as she turned to the ANBU.

"You! Get me a snack! Now!"

The ANBU looked dumbfounded for a moment before nodding and disappearing out the door, heading for the closest vending machine to buy something. Several moments later, he returned with a packet of chips and handed them to Tsunade, who thrust them at the frog. The frog looked at the chips and then up at her, holding up a hand.

"How do you think I'm supposed to open them?"

Tsunade shoved the packet of chips to Jiraiya.

"He's your summon, do it for him."

Jiraiya grumbled and ripped open the packet of chips, handing them to Gamakichi who looked at them, grabbing one and eating it. He reached for another one, eating it before looking up at them.

"Well? What do you want me to tell him?"

Jiraiya sighed before looking at the frog. Now that they were ready for the message, what exactly were they going to say to him? Sorry sounded kind of lame in this situation. Telling him to get back here A.S.A.P would be unneeded, as he'd be doing that himself right now. Tsunade looked at the frog, making up her mind.

"We're going to look for a way to help him back from this side. I know he's doing the same on his side. And ask him to take care of himself."

Gamakichi nodded, eating another chip.

"Sure thing. Anything else?"

No one did, so Gamakichi sighed.

"Don't get into a habit of summoning me every day. Once a month, and that's it. No compromises."

No one said anything, so Gamakichi looked at Sakura, smirking and holding up his pinkie.

"Oh, and Naruto said to ask me to tell his this to have his children. Ja!"

Gamakichi poofed out of existence before any physical damage could be done. Sakura screamed out, loud enough for the entire village to hear.

"NARUTO! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I'M GOING TO BEAT YOU SENSLESS! DO YOU HEAR ME? SHANNARO!"

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Triet:**

Everyone had stopped what they were doing; now focusing on Naruto as he let forth the longest, loudest, most rapid fire succession of sneezes they had ever heard. Colette looked worried.

"Naruto must be really sick…"

Finally, Naruto looked up, panting from the exertion and smiling like an idiot.

"They must be really worried about me to mention me that many times."

Naruto decided to summon Gamakichi later on tonight when he was alone, to see if they had left him a message. For now, he focused on training Lloyd and Genis.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**That Evening:**

Lloyd had just finished making Raine's key crest for her Exsphere and wished her good night, making sure to pinch the sleeping Genis' nose, making him flail madly before going to his own room. However, when he left their room, he heard the door to his own room open, both Naruto and Kratos leaving. Naruto indicated with a flick of his head towards the direction of the Oasis. Kratos nodded and they both walked outside, into the night. Lloyd pondered out aloud.

"I wonder where they're going at this time of night…."

Lloyd was definitely going to follow them; however, he couldn't follow both of them. He badly wanted to know about the ever stoic Kratos, but also about the secretive Naruto. He finally decided to follow Naruto, heading out the door and off to the Oasis, completely oblivious to the fact that Kratos was standing with Noishe not 10 meters away.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**At the Oasis:**

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Naruto slammed his palm down onto the sand, and was assaulted by a wailing orange frog.

"AH! WHAT IS THIS? I'M BURNING UP!"

Naruto jerked a thumb to his left.

"Water and keep it down."

From the still clearing could of smoke, a steaming orange frog jumped and splashed into the water, leaving behind a bag of chips. Naruto saw them and his eyes widened.

"Chips! Sour Cream an Onion too! My favourite!"

Naruto ripped the bag of chips off the ground and began shovelling them in. Naruto was about to eat the last one when he heard Gamakichi call out to him.

"OI, bimbo! Those are my snacks! If you eat the last one, I won't give you the message!"

Naruto considered whether to eat the chip or hear the message. He reluctantly put the chip back in the packet and looked at him.

"Alright, let's hear it. How are they?"

Gamakichi grumbled.

"They were really turning on the waterworks, kid. You should have seen the old pervert's job to the wall. He completely smashed it."

Lloyd was completely taken aback that Naruto had not only summoned this frog again, but was having a conversation with it. IT was then that Naruto detected Lloyd, disappearing and reappearing right behind Lloyd with a kunai to his throat, obviously very angry with him.

"Lloyd, let me give you one warning. I consider this a forceful breech of privacy. Next time it happens, I might decide not to let you live. I told you, I will tell you about myself when I am ready. Do you understand?"

Lloyd nodded slowly, as Naruto withdrew the kunai and stared at him.

"Go to bed. If I leave like this, it's because I want time to myself. Understood?"

Lloyd nodded and scrambled off to bed, leaving Naruto alone with Gamakichi. Naruto sighed and sat back down next to the edge of the oasis, trying to continue the conversation.

"Isn't that what Tsunade-Obaachan would do?"

Gamakichi shrugged.

"She wanted to punch me out the window. Anyway, they asked you to try and find a way back. They're doing the same on their side. Oh, and the old hag wanted you to take care of yourself. Now, give me my snack!"

Naruto sighed, handing the snack to Gamakichi, who snatched it back, glaring at Naruto. Naruto smiled at Gamakichi.

"Next time they talk to you, ask for two. I wouldn't mind a packet now and again."

Gamakichi glared at Naruto, his eyebrow twitching.

"It's bad enough us amphibians are reduced to carrying you smelly apes' messages for you, but now you want us to be couriers as well? Get them yourself, bimbo! And don't summon me until next month!"

Gamakichi disappeared, making Naruto sigh and turn back to trudge to the inn.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning, Daybreak:**

As per normal, Naruto was up as the first rays of light came through his window. He could see Kratos already up, while Lloyd was snoring. Naruto made a slight glare before putting his clothes on. He walked outside, seeing only Kratos there. Not even the receptionist was behind the desk. Naruto's stomach growled, making him grunt and pull out a scroll and pull out 3 cups of ramen. Kratos' eyes narrowed at the cups.

"What material are those made from?"

Naruto smirked and partially peeled the lids off them.

"It's called plastic. Not sure how it's made."

Kratos nodded slowly and went back to leaning against the wall. Naruto walked up to the small kitchenette near the side of the room and saw there was only a cold water tap and a wood stove. He grumbled, wishing Yamamoto was here to create some wood with a Mokuton Jutsu. However, he found some fire wood stacked against the wall behind it, so he shoved it in. The only thing he was lacking now was fire, so he formed several hand seals and whispered his jutsu.

"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu…"

Kratos' eyes widened as Naruto shot several very small, weak fireballs out of his mouth from between his fingers, making the wood catch fire instantly. Naruto found a rather beat up black kettle, which he filled with water and placed it on the stove. Naruto now had to wait until the water had boiled. Deciding it was time for some 'information gathering' of his own kind, he leaned against the wall near Kratos. Naruto had to choose his words very carefully if he wanted to appear casual and not probing. Naruto looked at the sword strapped to Kratos' belt and remembered how he fought.

"You've very accomplished for your age with a sword."

Kratos turned away and looked out a window on the far wall.

"I've practiced from when I was young."

That wasn't exactly surprising. A lot of ninjas were usually too old for the job once they reached their mid thirties. At that point, the kettle started to boil, so Naruto reached over and pulled it off, taking it the stove by the handle and pouring it quickly into the cups of instant ramen with practiced ease. He pulled the plastic forks off the sides and kept the lids shut with them, waiting until the ramen was ready. Looking up at Kratos, he saw Kratos was very intensely concentrating on the cups. Naruto waited several more moments before peeling the lids off and ripped in.

"Itadakimasu!"

Kratos watched in morbid fascination as the ramen literally disappeared from the cups. Within 2 minutes, all three cups were empty and Naruto sat back, content.

"That hit the spot."

Kratos turned his head away as he spoke.

"And where exactly would that 'spot' be?"

Naruto understood what Kratos had said. He was attempting a dry sense of humour, implying that Naruto was a bottomless pit. From Lloyd's description, Kratos had no sense of humour, so this came as a surprise, making Naruto laugh. Kratos looked at Naruto quizzically.

"You understood that?"

Naruto nodded.

"Everyone's said you're all business and no fun; doesn't seem that way."

Kratos half smiled, a rare sight. However, the smile vanished as the door to Genis' and Raine's room opened, revealing Raine awake and pretty much on full alert. She came down the stairs, nodding to both boys, who gave her a nod back. Raine saw the containers and Naruto noticed in horror as Raine's normally ice blue eyes changed to a pale lavender colour when she looked at them.

"MARVELOUS! What do you call this?"

Naruto and Kratos sweat dropped. This woman was scary.

"Plastic…"

Raine snatched one off the table and pulled out some sort of object which Naruto suspected was a portable microscope. At that point, Genis came stumbling out of his room and groaned when she saw his older sister studying one of Lloyd's plastic containers. He raced down the stairs and attempted to separate researcher from research. Naruto looked at Raine and then Genis.

"Is she always like this?"

Genis didn't answer, nor did he listen to Raine's incessant protests, claiming that this could be a 'scientific breakthrough'.

"Is she?"

Everyone turned to see Lloyd staring at Genis and the professor. Genis grumbled, clearly frustrated.

"I tried so hard to hide it too…"

Naruto locked eyes with Lloyd and glared, making Lloyd look at the ground.

"I'm sorry, Naruto…"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at both Lloyd and Naruto, who sat back.

"Lloyd, when I said don't push, I meant it. One more episode like last night, and that's the end for you. I will tell you when I'm ready."

Everyone stared at Naruto in shock, while he just sighed.

"When I do decide to tell you, judge me then. My past is a very dangerous thing to talk about, even among friends. It was dangerous enough that people strong enough to level cities with ease by themselves wanted to gain my power as well as several others' to summon the king of hell. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak."

Everyone digested this tidbit of information. Naruto looked up from his position against the wall at the group.

"For our current situation, I suggest you eat breakfast so we can head out."

Kratos agreed with Naruto's suggestion.

"Both Naruto and I have eaten. When you have finished, meet us outside."

Both Naruto and Kratos walked to the front door and stepped outside into the temperate early morning heat. Raine sighed and piled through her dangerously full bag for her ration supplies, which she handed to the three children as well as saved some for herself. Lloyd grumbled as he bit into the tasteless cookie.

"Professor, why do we have to eat these things? They don't taste like anything and they don't fill you up…"

Genis snorted as he took another bite into his own.

"Because they give us all the nutrients as well as the energy we'll need for this, Lloyd. These things aren't cheap, you know."

Lloyd grumbled again but continued eating his cookie. After they had finished, they stepped outside, Raine still lugging her overflowing backpack with her. Just outside, they saw both Naruto and Kratos looking out towards the south west, where the seal of fire was located. Naruto snapped back to attention when they stepped outside and looked at Raine, or more specifically, her back pack which she was dragging along the ground.

"We are not taking that."

Raine's head shot up, her eyes taking on a scary glint that made all boys shudder.

"Are you saying we should leave these priceless research materials here, where they can be stolen?"

Naruto sweat dropped, but waved it off.

"Fine, take them, but they're going in a scroll."

Colette, Kratos and Raine looked at Naruto suspiciously, while Genis and Lloyd nodded in agreement.

"Man, Naruto sealed his lance in a scroll! There was this blue light, and it just disappeared!"

Naruto searched through his ninja pouch, finding a blank sealing scroll and motioned Raine to pass the bag over. Raine continued looking at Naruto and the scroll suspiciously.

"The weight will still be the same."

Naruto shook his head.

"They'll only weight as much as the ink taken to seal them. I'm not going into a long explanation as to how sealing works, but it does. I have about quarter of a ton of items sealed on scrolls fit into this pouch. Even I would be crushed under that weight, mana aid or not. Don't believe me, then check for yourself."

Naruto unclipped the pouch and chucked it at Raine, who shot out her hands, preparing for some ungodly weight to crush her, but finding it weighed at most 5 kilograms. She stared at it in disbelief, and then back up at Naruto.

"This shouldn't be possible."

Naruto smirked as he remembered something Gaara had told him about when Sasuke first betrayed Konoha.

"Without mana, I can't do much. With it, there is nothing I can't do."

Colette got stars in her eyes, obviously off with the fairies again.

"Wow, so can you create water from nothing?"

Naruto looked at Colette, wondering if she would ever get a clue.

"You can't create something from nothing, nor can you turn something into nothing. You can change it, but not create or destroy. That's what's called a universal law. That will never change. Still, give me enough mana and the knowledge of how to do it, and I can drown this planet in it. I'd most likely die from channelling that much mana through my body, but it'd get the job done."

Naruto took Raine's objects and laid them out on the sand, before looking up at Raine.

"Do you want them sealed in the same seal, or separately? The only difference is, if they're all in one seal, when you want it back, you'll get all of them instead of just one."

Raine nodded slowly.

"Separately if possible please."

Naruto nodded and rolled the scroll out further before focusing some chakra and slamming his palm on the ground.

"Artefact Sealing Method!"

Chaka began working it's way out of the seals and engulfing each one of the artefacts, which disappeared and reappeared inside the seals. All of the seals glowed gold for a second before the Kanji for artefact appeared inside each one. Naruto stood up and rolled the scroll back up with practiced ease, tying it up and chucking it to Raine, who caught it and checked it over. Naruto looked up at her and explained the basics.

"If you want to retrieve an item, just touch the Kanji for the item you want and pump a little bit of mana into it. For now, let's get moving."

Lloyd pumped his fist, showing his enthusiasm.

"Alright! Now things are getting interesting!"

Genis snorted and followed Naruto towards the gates.

"You're always excited when we do something new…"

Kratos sighed and followed Naruto.

"I hope you'll be able to maintain that enthusiasm…"

All of them agreed with that and walked out of the front gates of the desert town, heading towards the ruins of fire where the seal was located.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Midday, Seal of Fire:**

Naruto walked up to the obsidian columns that poked haphazardly out of the sand, checking them and seeing many strange runes carved into them. Lloyd stumbled up to Naruto's side, sweating like there was no tomorrow.

"Oh man, I am **sick** of this desert…"

Naruto looked back at Lloyd, seeing him leaning up against a column.

"You probably should have paced yourself. Those thick clothes aren't helping much either."

Noishe came up beside Lloyd and whined, backing up before running off.

"Noishe? Noishe? Where are you going?"

Kratos came up beside them and took a glance back at the retreating Noishe.

"I would assume he is afraid of the monsters. I don't think it would be a good idea to count on Noishe in these types of situations."

Noishe showed no signs of stopping or slowing down, making Lloyd grumble.

"Damn, he's run off again…"

Kratos looked over the group of semi weary travellers and sighed.

"This is going to be a nuisance…"

Lloyd looked up at Kratos.

"What was that?"

Kratos shook his head quickly, focusing on the situation at hand.

"Nothing. Anyway, it would be wise to cover each other's backs from here on."

Colette smiled and tilted her head to the side.

"Are you talking about self defence training?"

Kratos nodded.

"Something like that. Naruto, despite your level of experience, it would be wise to learn as well."

They looked at Naruto who had his back to them.

"Kratos, let me show you something."

Naruto pulled out a kunai and pulled up his sleave, making a somewhat deep cut. Colette gasped.

"Naruto! Why are you-"

Everyone stopped when they saw steam rise off the wound, as it began to heal fast enough for them to see. Naruto looked at them.

"I'm not sure of the top limits of my self healing abilities, but I know I can heal things that anyone else would die instantly from."

Raine looked at Naruto deadpanned.

"Really?"

Naruto nodded.

"Trust me; a broken neck hurts a hell of a lot."

Everyone's mouths dropped open as Naruto sighed, shaking his head.

"The ability to do that is directly connected to my past. Don't ask."

They slowly nodded and turned back to Kratos, who began going over the basics for a form of short lived mana barrier that deflected most weak to moderate strength attacks. After they had learnt, Lloyd smiled widely.

"I really don't get it, but I feel stronger."

Naruto smirked as Genis sighed, shaking his head.

"I think you're just imagining things, Lloyd."

"Not necessarily."

Everyone looked at Naruto, waiting for his explanation.

"Technically, Lloyd has gotten stronger by learning that, however, that strength will only come when he learns when to use it to maximum effect. A spell used incorrectly or at the wrong time is a spell wasted."

They nodded in agreement as they followed Naruto up the path to the raised alter. In the middle of it was a polished black slab of stone, while to the left was a raised pedestal that had an inscription on in. Naruto looked over the pedestal with interest.

"I've never seen this language before…"

Raine came up to Naruto's side and nodded.

"It's in the angelic language. It reads 'Oracle Stone'. These stones were made to identify the chosen. Colette, place your hand here. It should allow is to enter the seal."

Naruto stepped away and let Colette place her hand on it. The black slab grinded into the wall to reveal a staircase leading down into the earth. A hot wind was washing out of it that put the desert to shame. Naruto's eyes narrowed as he felt an unfamiliar feeling wash over him.

"Why am I getting the sudden urge to burn everything in sight…"

They looked at Naruto.

"What was that, Naruto?"

Naruto walked to the top of the staircase.

"I want to try something. Whatever you do, stay behind me."

They nodded as Naruto walked down the stairwell, with them close behind. Once Naruto got to the bottom, he stopped. The hallway was absolutely massive, stretching almost all the way back up to the surface, while maintaining a width of at least 35 meters. There were crumbling columns everywhere, as well as the occasionally monster.

"Ok, stay back."

Naruto found he didn't even have to form hand seals for his jutsu. It just came naturally to him.

"Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!"

Naruto breathed a massive ball of fire out of his mouth that quickly increased in size to engulf the entire corridor. It roared down the hallway, incinerating and melting everything in its path. Not even the piles of rubble were speared from the fiery death, as they turned into molten slag. Everyone stared in horror while Naruto was wide eyed at what he had just done.

"I can't even make one that big on the best of days with 5 times as much mana as I used then, let alone not do any hand seals for it…"

Naruto got another idea and stared concentrating on producing a Fuuton jutsu. He found it took four times more chakra to do as if he had tried it outside, as well as a lot more hand seals. Eventually, he got the jutsu to work.

"Fuuton: Daitoppa!"

Naruto breathed out a moderately strong gust of wind that blew out the remaining fires and semi hardened the molten rock. Naruto smirked.

"So that's how it is…"

Everyone turned to Naruto for an explanation.

"This is the seal of fire. Fire type spells and jutsus require no concentration to produce, and produce far more for less mana. However, wind, which shares a symbolic relationship with water, fire's opposing force is hampered, meaning we have to spend far more mana and take longer to cast it than normal."

Raine shook her head in disagreement.

"Actually, ice is fire's polar opposite."

Naruto shook his head.

"Ice is a minor element. It's no where near as powerful as the five majors, which are Fire, Earth, Wind, Water and Lightning. All other elements are made from a mixture of those five. For example, Ice is made by mixing wind with water. Wood is made by mixing earth and water, while others like Light are made from mixing lightning and wind and Shadow is made by mixing fire and earth. If you don't believe me, try casting a water spell in here and tell me how far you get."

Raine became enraptured with Naruto's view of the elements and began firing off rapid counter arguments, making everyone but Naruto and Kratos back away from her. Kratos withdrew his sword and pointed down the hall.

"It seems your little experiment has brought this whole place onto us, Naruto."

Birds made of fire, strange lumps of flaming rock and other assorted monsters were crowding into the hall to see what had happened. Naruto flicked open one of his jacket scroll pouches and got his lance ready.

"We'll just have to fix that then, won't we?"

Lloyd looked at Naruto with a none too subtle look of fear coming over his face.

"Naruto! Can't you just use another fire ball or something to get rid of them?"

Naruto shook his head.

"I could, but it seems that just spawns more of them."

Naruto pointed forward where they could see the few monsters charred remains morphing and splitting apart to form twice as many that were present before.

"Let's go!"

They all nodded and charged forward, led by Naruto to start dealing with the hoards of monsters. Although the monsters were of moderate strength, there were countless lots of them. Naruto looked at Genis and Raine over his shoulder.

"Genis! Raine! I need you two to provide long range support! Use anything but fire or earth based spells!"

Both of them nodded and started powering up some spells. By the looks of it, Raine was creating a holy type while Genis was doing a wind type. Naruto looked at Colette.

"Colette, can you provide us with mid range support?"

Colette looked dumbfounded for a second, but nodded.

"Sure, Naruto."

Naruto smiled and jumped into the air, bringing his lance to bear against a one eyed humanoid monster that seemed to be made of semi solid magma, carrying a sword of fire. The monster was slow, but very powerful. The blow it unleashed with it's sword against Naruto would have probably severed the top half of his body if he didn't use chakra to reinforce his hold on his lance. Kratos took the advantage of its slow movement and delivered a savage slice to its upper chest, making it bleed lava and let out a roar that sounded more like an explosion than an animal howling in pain. Naruto finished it by carving its head off, making it burst into flames, leaving behind the golden handle of the sword which clattered to the ground. Lloyd was quickly being surrounded by others and backed against the wall. Naruto saw this and charged forward, trying to give Lloyd an opening to get out. Kratos was busy with his own set when Colette came to Lloyd's rescue, cleaving two magma rocks in half with her twin chakrams. Lloyd nodded at Colette in thanks and took the small opening to get out. Raine chose that moment to finish her spell.

"Photon!"

Naruto saw one monster being surrounded by a sphere of yellow runes that closed inwards and exploded outwards again, injuring several monsters around it. The one in the middle had no chance of survival, but Naruto saw that the monsters next to it were bleeding magma out of their wounds which hardened into new skin. Once that had completed, the monsters began attacking as if they were never hurt. Naruto called out to everyone.

"If we don't make sure they're dead, they will heal using the seal's power! Don't move on until you're sure it's dead!"

All of them acknowledged as Lloyd used a Sonic Thrust to skewer one of the fire birds through the head and out the back, making it stiffen and then drop to the floor, leaving behind its gold leg bands. Genis then announced his spell.

"Alright! Air Thrust!"

A much more powerful version of Genis' Wind Blade started ripping through several of the monsters. Lloyd smirked and took advantage of the momentary confusion to launch his own attack.

"Demon Fang!"

An aura of mana appeared on one of Lloyd's swords as he unleashed it, sending a roughly human sized arc of mana straight towards an enemy, watching it being ripped to shreds as well as the one behind it. Naruto started focusing his chakra into his weapon and used mana to jump upwards and somersault in the air, bringing his lance down at an angle.

"Pile Driver!"

Naruto's lance impacted the ground, sending up rock chunks that impacted the nearest monsters while a shockwave of chakra took care of several more. The problem was, more monsters were coming through the doorway ahead and the corridors to the left and right. Genis called out as he started another spell.

"There's too many of them!"

Naruto sighed and jumped back to give himself some room. At this rate, they would be overrun and die. Forming a very familiar hand seal and gathering a massive amount of chakra around himself making everyone and everything in the room stop and look at him, he announced his jutsu.

"Tajyuu…"

The entire corridor was covered in smoke that made everyone cough who breathed it in. However, when it cleared, they looked speechlessly at the at least one thousand Naruto clones that were absolutely everywhere. On the floor, the walls and the ceiling. The real Naruto finished the jutsu name.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

The real Naruto pointed at the monsters.

"If you want to increase your numbers, then so can we! Get em boys!"

The Naruto clones let out a deafening battle cry and charged in, resorting to overwhelming them with numbers and probably suffocating them at the same time. The clones jumped back and pulled out a shuriken each.

"Try and dodge this! Shihou Hapou Shuriken!"

Like the name suggested, a veritable wall of black metal closed in completely destroying half of them before the clones jumped back and began the next one.

"Next! **U-**"

A group of clones kicked several of the remaining monsters up into the air.

"**-Zu-"**

Another clone for each monster kicked them further up.

"**-Ma-"**

The process was repeated again.

"**Ki-"**

The entire army of clones converged on them.

"**Naruto Nisen Rendan!"**

The clones gave a punch to each of the air borne monsters, making them disintegrate. There was a perfect number of monsters left to do the one Naruto never got to finish.

"**Now we'll finish you off with a 4000 hit combo using our feet!"**

Naruto and his clones came in, feet first.

"**NARUTO YONSEN RENDAN!"**

The remaining monsters were completely destroyed, leaving a group of very happy Naruto and a bunch of floored people. Naruto called out to his clones.

"Thanks for your help guys! I might call you out again later!"

One clone looked at the real Naruto.

"What do you mean call us out again? Haven't we done enough yet?"

Another smirked.

"At least I have talent, unlike you guys! Did you see mine? That was so awesome!"

"What do you mean, 'at least you have talent'? You are us! And anyway, yours was nothing compared to mine!"

The clones began a mass argument, making the real Naruto sigh.

"Sometimes, I regret giving them personalities…"

Naruto looked up at them.

"You lot! I'm going to need my chakra back! And now!"

The clones grumbled, but dispelled themselves, making Naruto slump for a second.

"Oh man, that's soooooo tiring…."

Naruto was aware of the others staring at him. He looked up smiling sheepishly.

"I didn't earn the name on the field, 'one man army' for nothing…."

Lloyd whistled.

"Now **that's** a combo… what was it, 2000 plus 2000… Uh, it was a lot!"

Genis sighed, shaking his head.

"It was an 8000 hit combo, Lloyd. I would ask where you learnt that spell, Naruto, but that's part of your past, right?"

Naruto nodded as he took out a soldier pill and bit down on it several times and swallowed, feeling his chakra levels come back up to normal. He looked up at them, seeing them bursting to know about it.

"I can tell you about the jutsu itself, but not anything else."

Naruto sighed and gave a brief explanation that didn't involve heavy psychology and telepathic linking.

"That was a rather large scale version of Kage Bunshin. A Kage Bunshin is a real clone instead of just an illusion that is capable of using their own spells. Usually, I just use them for Taijutsu, as each clone I make I have to share my mana with, meaning that when I dispel them, I get everything back from them they got since they were created, meaning thoughts, knowledge, experiences, and also whatever mana is left over. And yes, that means with 365 of them, I can learn something that it would take a single person an entire year to do so in one day. However, at the end, I'd be very, very tired, possibly even dead if it was strenuous enough."

Everyone took this in when Colette smiled, stars in her eyes yet again.

"Wow, so since you just created 2000 clones, you really did all those cool moves by yourself?"

Everyone sweat dropped as Naruto answered.

"Technically, yes, but at the same time, technically no. I have the memories and the exhaustion as if I did do it all by myself, but it also wasn't me who did every single one of those attacks. Anyway, the theory behind Kage Bunshin is confusing at the best of times, so let's pick up the things we can use or sell and just get on with this."

Kratos agreed, still somewhat shaken by Naruto's new jutsu.

"Indeed."

All of them set out to gathering the multitude of pieces of gold and other precious objects, having Naruto seal them and pocket the scrolls. Once they had combed the area, they walked to the end of the corridor where it split off forward, left and right. Through the door in front of them there was a room filled with lava and stone structures. To the left and right, the corridors stretched around the corners, probably leading to other entrances to the room in front of them. Naruto thought about the possibilities before indicating to the left.

"Let's try to the left first."

They nodded and followed Naruto around the deserted corridor. When they got to the end, they saw part of the ceiling had collapsed and formed a mound against the wall. Part of the mound was very different to the rest, making Naruto take a look. He pushed the rocks on top of the object off to reveal a yellow gel, which he picked up. Lloyd smiled at the new prize.

"Wow a Lemon Gel! Those things are really rare around here!"

Naruto pocketed the bottle of Lemon Gel and saw a door to his left, and the others' right. It did indeed lead into the same room as the centre doorway. They walked through and winced at the searing heat. Far above their heads, they could see in the middle of the room on one of the platforms a blue light. Lloyd had an idea and walked towards the wall.

"We can use our training to walk up these!"

Naruto shook his head.

"Lloyd, I'd love for you to do it, but look what's directly below the wall."

Lloyd looked over the edge to see churning bubbling lava and stepped backwards.

"Good point…"

Naruto jumped upwards and landed on the wall with his feet, starting to walk upwards until he reached the top. Genis noticed something on the wall to the side.

"What's this?"

Everyone turned to see some sort of unlit hearth in the wall. Looking around, they could see several others dotted around the room. Raine began recounting the legend of Efreet.

"Efreet, the Summon Spirit of Fire was said to have demolished this ancient city thousands of years ago with his raging infernos. These hearths might be connected to Efreet. Lloyd, try using the Sorcerer's Ring on it."

Lloyd nodded and pointed the ring at the hearth. The small fireball sprang out and the hearth instantly lit up when the fireball hit it. There was a rumbling sound and one of the lower stone platforms began rising up, grinding against the others on either side of it until it became level with Naruto, who had just reached the top of the wall. Kratos called up to Naruto.

"Can you see anything from up there?"

Naruto looked around and called back down.

"There are a whole lot of what I think are storage boxes as well as something in the middle of the room. It looks like some kind of machine that emits a blue ring of light."

Raine nodded.

"That would be the way into the central part of the seal."

Naruto looked at them and then at the boxes.

"I'm going to open the boxes and see what's inside them. I'll be back in a moment."

Kratos' eyes widened as Naruto took a flying leap to the platform next to him, unclasping the box's lock and flipping it open to reveal a rather short sword. He took it out and looked over it and shrugged before heading to the next one. Inside, there was a pair of wind elemental swords, much to his shock. They were of slightly better quality than Lloyd's current ones. Searching the rest of the boxes revealed several other bottles of some potions or another, as well as a staff. Naruto came back and called over the side to them.

"I've got everything. Kratos, there's a sword here you might want. Lloyd, there's a pair of better swords and Raine, there's a staff here. I have no idea who would leave these things lying around, but I'd say they've been here for quite some time."

Naruto started walking down the wall and jumped the last part of the way onto the platform they were on. He placed the objects on the ground, making Lloyd scratch the back of his head nervously.

"Isn't this stealing?"

Naruto smirked.

"These items are older than most of us are by quite a few centuries. Somehow, I don't think their owners are going to be complaining all that much, especially considering where they left them…"

They nodded and picked up the items, checking them before thinking about what to do with there old ones. Naruto chuckled.

"Seals; can't live without them."

Naruto took everyone's older items and sealed them in a scroll which he pocketed. Naruto looked at them and had an idea.

"I wonder if regular fire would work on the hearths…"

No one said anything, so Naruto saw another one close by and launched a single small ball of fire at it, causing it to flare to life and another platform to rise. Naruto smiled and formed the hand seal for Kage Bunshin.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

Three clones appeared and nodded at each other before disappearing and reappearing near a hearth, lighting them up. Every stone platform that was below 'ground' level began rising, creating an intricate connecting path of stone catwalks. Naruto dispelled his Kage Bunshins and came back to the others, seeing a path that led from their level upwards to the top. Raine smiled.

"You sure know how to make things easier, don't you Naruto?"

Naruto nodded and smiled, leading them upwards in a roughly square pattern which ended at the centre platform. Naruto stopped and took a look around before stepping onto it and to his surprise, his vision began fading and reappearing in another place, giving him vision of two places at once. The view of his friends quickly faded and he was able to focus on the new room. He stepped off the spinning blue pad and his friends followed behind him. Lloyd shook his head trying to fight off the weird sensation.

"I'll never get used to that…"

Everyone walked forward to the Seal of Fire, which suddenly began hissing and a column of flame shot upwards, making everyone fall backwards. The room flashed red, making the party shield their eyes. When they opened them, they saw three beasts which they could only assume were some kind of heavily modified canines. The middle one, which was the largest of the three and the most powerful was the most canine looking, while the other two looked like they had their midsection cut out and the tails glued back on right behind their front legs. Both of the smaller ones were currently floating in the air. All of them had manes of glass spikes. However, the most startling thing about them was not just that they were drooling lava, but their entire bodies were made of molten rock that continually pulsed in a slow steady heartbeat like rhythm. The centre one roared, shaking the entire room with the volume and began charging at them with its two cronies not far behind. Naruto charged forward and attempted to see just how strong these things were. Lloyd was right beside them as they used their weapons to make a massive gash down each side of the main one. It grunted and magma oozed out of the wounds, instantly solidifying. It charged forward while the two smaller ones went for Naruto and Lloyd. Lloyd looked at it in disbelief.

"What? I know I killed it!"

Naruto shook his head, dodging to the side as the one going after him spat a massive ball of fire at him.

"Doesn't matter! Next time, try and cut off the head!"

Lloyd nodded and dodged to the side as the one going for him lowered its head and shot a number of its glass quills at him. The quills hit the wall and shattered into a shower of deadly glass fragments. The ones it had shot regenerated very quickly. Once it had, it charged straight at Lloyd and tried clawing him with its two clawed talons. Lloyd blocked with the flat of his blades. Naruto chanced a look back at the main group to see that Kratos was already bleeding on the left shoulder from a claw mark, while Genis was had been scratched by the glass quills in several places. Naruto's mark took this as a chance and came in, snapping its huge molten jaws at Naruto. Naruto just managed to give it a smack to the bridge of the nose with his lance tip and backed away. However, he felt a massive source of mana coming from the big one, and saw him making the ground around the others explode into a dome of fire. Lloyd called out to the others.

"Guys! Hang on!"

Naruto jumped back again and hurled the lance straight into the monster's forehead, making it howl and thrash around. This gave Naruto the opportunity he needed to power up his jutsu. Naruto could see that the others were burnt, but alive as they fell to the ground. Kratos and Raine began healing the others until they felt Naruto's mana spiking very high. They turned to see mana spinning in his hand.

"Stage one…"

Next, the mana increased in volume, turning into a rough spherical shape.

"Stage two…"

The monster was clawing at its head, trying to get the lance out but having little success. Naruto looked at Lloyd.

"Lloyd, finish mine off! I'm going for yours!"

Lloyd nodded and charged, gathering mana into his feet like Naruto had trained him and jumping up into the air, doing multiple somersaults and holding his blades above his head as he curled up, turning into a spinning wheel of green and red death.

"Tempest!"

Lloyd's swords cut straight through the beast's neck, severing it from the body and making it burst into flames, leaving nothing but Naruto's lance. Naruto formed the next level of his jutsu, forming a perfect sphere.

"Stage three!"

Naruto charged at the other one and shoved his jutsu into the side and let it go.

"**RASENGAN!"**

The ball exploded outwards as the beast roared in pain before being engulfed in a blue-white ball of light and blasted across the room, ripping up the ground underneath it before slamming into the wall and exploding, leaving nothing behind. The main monster snarled and lowered its head, preparing to launch its glass spines at the still prone group. Naruto ripped off his flak jacket and threw it to the ground, where it created a decent sized crater. Naruto disappeared and got his lance, disappearing again before falling down on top of the beast and driving the lance through its neck making it howl in pain and stumble. However, this movement caused the glass spines to impale Naruto straight through, making everyone stare in disbelief as he dropped off, letting go of his lance and hitting the ground, staying still. Everyone stayed still for a moment, but for different reasons. The beast was still in a horrendous amount of pain, while the others were staring at their now dead comrade. The monster righted itself slowly and turned to look towards the one who had caused it so much pain. It snarled and charged at Naruto, intending to eat his corpse when Naruto exploded, sending rock and dirt everywhere. The monster copped it full in the face, being blinded in one eye and having several teeth destroyed. It howled again but was cut off when it felt three blades pierce its neck, two long ones and a single shorter one. When the dust cleared, Lloyd and Kratos had impaled the beast through the neck. The beast gurgled and toppled over sideways before catching alight and turning into nothing but several items that were on the floor where its stomach should have been. They looked around to see Naruto checking where the other two monsters had died, picking up several things, including his jacket and pocketing or putting them on before walking over to them. He saw their bewildered expressions and he smiled.

"Sorry about that, but I managed to create a Kage Bunshin and replace myself with it just in time. I had it blow up to provide you with some cover to finish it off."

Raine looked at the crater where Naruto's jacket had landed and then back at him.

"Naruto, how much does your jacket weigh?"

Naruto shrugged.

"About 200 kilograms."

Every single person beside Naruto and Colette, including Kratos face faulted. Genis looked up from his position on the ground at Naruto and stared at it in disbelief.

"There's no way it could weigh that much! You'd be dead!"

Naruto sighed and pulled it off, placing it lightly on the ground.

"Don't believe me, then try lifting it."

Lloyd got up and gave it a tug, not even making it budge.

"Ugh! What the hell is this! Why would you wear something like this? It's stupid!"

Kratos shook his head.

"Weight training is a very old fashioned, but effective method of increasing one's speed and stamina. It relies on the fact that you wear the weights almost constantly to get your body slowly used to the new weight. The result is said to be a dramatic increase in power and speed when the weights are taken off. However, I have never heard of anything over 75 kilograms being worn constantly. I assume you are using mana to support yourself?"

Naruto shook his head.

"No. I worked my way up from a total of 15 kilos to this over 2 years. For a ninja, a lot can happen in two years."

Kratos nodded in agreement.

"That also hold true for other full time fighters, such as mercenaries."

Naruto pulled the jacket back on and started healing the parties remaining injuries with the help of Kratos and Raine. Finally, they stood up and walked over to the seal. It seemed to be surrounded by a ring of metal, from which four partially raised lines of metal shot out, filling the entire raised platform in the direction they went. In the middle was a pool of fiery mana. Once there, they heard a voice from all around them.

"Chosen, offer your prayers at the altar."

Colette nodded and stepped forward.

"Yes my Lord. O great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength."

They watched as jets of steam shot out of the middle circle. The jets stopped and the middle circle raised up and rotated as the fiery mana filled the enclosed cage. Naruto could have sworn he caught a glimpse of some sort of being inside for a second before it vanished, leaving behind a floating red mass of mana. The ceiling lit up with a sparkling golden light, which condensed into a ball that came to midway between the ceiling and floor before flashing to reveal a man in very formal green robes and a hat of the same colour. What startled Naruto the most was the flowing white wings he had attached to his shoulder blades. Genis smirked at Naruto.

"See, told you angels were real."

Naruto said nothing, but looked at this 'angel' carefully. The angel looked at Colette, smiling slightly.

"Colette, my dear daughter, you have done well to reach this far. You have defeated the seal's guardian and broken the seal. Efreet will surely awaken soon. We of Cruxis hereby bless this event, and bestow upon you the power of the angels. However, the transformation is not without pain, yet it is but for one night. Hold strong, and endure."

Naruto looked between this angel and Colette. Something was definitely not right here, but he could not work out what. Four orbs of light, coloured red, blue white and green came down from the ceiling and struck Colette, entering her body with a red flash of light. When it cleared, Colette's back began sparkling before a pair of intricate pink and slightly purple mana wings shot out of her back, making everyone look at her in astonishment. However, Naruto was remembering something very different, his fight with Sasuke and how his wings sprouted. Naruto involuntarily shuddered, which was caught only by Kratos and Remiel. Remiel smiled at Colette and started rising towards the roof.

"The next seal lies far to the east, across the sea. We shall meet again there, Colette. Do not disappoint me."

Colette nodded.

"Yes father."

The angel disappeared, leaving behind a trail of golden feathers that floated slowly to the ground. Naruto turned back and began walking towards the pad that brought them in here. Everyone looked at Naruto's retreating back when Lloyd called out to him.

"Naruto? Are you alright?"

Naruto sighed and nodded.

"Colette's wings reminded me of something. We have to increase our pace."

No one really understood why Naruto was suddenly so cold, but Kratos intervened.

"Judging by the way he reacted to Colette's wings manifesting, I would say that it strikes a raw nerve with him. As to why, I do not know. It would be best however, to follow Naruto's advice and leave. There's no telling what might happen here now that Efreet has begun to awaken."

They nodded as Colette made her wings disappear and they followed Naruto out of the seal room, and back towards the surface.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** For those of you who are going to say Naruto's too powerful, I don't care. Naruto's 19 now. I don't care if you think he's too weak for exploding Kage Bunshins, because those who do either don't have a brain or don't use it the way it should be used. For those of you wondering about the first meeting with Sheena, it's coming soon. That's all I'll say.

Ja na,

Specula.


	4. Imposters in Palmacosta

**A/N:** Yo! I'm really, really, really sorry for not updating sooner, but I had no internet access and I only just got my computer back, so now I have internet and a computer.

**MUSINGS:** We all know Orochimaru is a body snatching thief. However, every time he uses his body transferring jutsu, he only transfers his sou t. After he transfers, how does he still have his summons? I don't think you can rewrite your name on the contract, because he's using the body's blood, which isn't his original blood… Plot error, anyone?

TY to my beta, Kyuubi no Yoko 9.

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU/SPELL..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Two Worlds, Two Ninja:

Chapter Three:

Impostors in Palmacosta:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Near the Front of the Seal:**

The group finished walking up the final set of stairs and back into the midafternoon light. All they really cared about now was a decent night's sleep. However, just as they stepped up into the open air, Colette collapsed to her knees. Everyone was by her side in less than a second. Colette's normally fair face was now literally sheet white and her lips were purple. She was shivering from obvious pain. Lloyd bent down and looked Colette in the eyes.

"Colette! Can you hear me? Are you alright?"

Colette nodded slowly.

"I'm… Ok…"

Naruto snorted and knelt down beside her.

"Not judging but the amount of pain you're going through, you're not. This must be the pain Remiel spoke of."

Lloyd looked at Naruto, in obvious fear that his friend was in pain but he could do nothing for her.

"We've got to get her to a doctor!"

Kratos shook his head.

"Moving her would do more harm than good, possibly something irreversible."

Naruto nodded.

"And I don't think your average doctor could do much about something like this."

Raine agreed with their assessments.

"We should set up camp for the night and wait this out. Remiel said it was only for a single night."

Naruto stood up and looked around at the landscape.

"Even if we can't take her back to Triet, staying here would be just as dangerous. There might be a sandstorm, and even though this place is backed up against the mountains, we're still too unprotected."

Kratos nodded.

"We should try and find nearby shelter before dusk. Some of us will need to make sure the Chosen is as well as she can be given the circumstances."

Naruto nodded, forming a hand seal and sending out 5 Kage Bunshins to scout for a suitable place to shelter. Naruto turned to Lloyd and Genis.

"I need both of you to carry Colette when I find a place. Remember, she's far more fragile than usual."

Both of the boys nodded and sat around, waiting anxiously for new from Naruto's Kage Bunshins. After just under five minutes, Naruto snapped his head around towards the short.

"Found one. It's about half a kilometre in that direction. The others found nothing."

Kratos stood up and looked in the direction Naruto was. He could just make out the ocean between two cliff faces. Both Lloyd and Genis walked over to Colette and slowly lifted her into a supporting position. Colette smiled weakly at them.

"I'm sorry for troubling you…"

Lloyd sighed in frustration and looked down at her.

"Stop apologising! It's not like you wanted this. I mean, you were suddenly turned into an angel!"

Colette nodded slowly and closed her eyes as they began moving.

"Yeah…. I'm sorry."

Lloyd grumbled but said nothing as they began walking in the direction Naruto was taking them. They walked over 3 sand dunes before they reached the break in the mountain range that ran up this side of the continent. Naruto led them down the final hundred meters to the place he indicated. It was a small sunken pit of sorts that was surrounded on one side by some palm trees, and the other side was a small inlet from the sea. They walked down the steep incline carefully before placing Colette on the ground and beginning to make preparations to set up camp.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**That Evening:**

Colette had begun stirring several hours after dusk, just as the evening meal Genis had been making was served. Naruto wasn't sure whether to call it a curry or a soup, but its taste was decent considering they were out in the middle of no where. Lloyd noticed Colette poking her food half heartedly.

"Colette, you need to eat and get your strength back."

Naruto looked up and shook his head.

"Lloyd's right in that you need your strength, but if your body is telling you that it doesn't want food after an ordeal like that, it's for a good reason. Try one of these."

Naruto took out his bag of soldier pills and handed it to Colette, who took it and was about to put it in her mouth when she started coughing. Naruto moved over and formed some healing chakra around his hand, placing it on her lower chest, making the coughing ease. She smiled weakly at Naruto.

"Thank you, Naruto…"

Naruto shrugged and went back to his own meal next to hers.

"No problem. Just remember, the pill has a bitter taste, but chew it several times and swallow. Once it hits the acid in your stomach, it will instantly dissolve into your stomach lining and from there into your blood stream. It should give your body the energy it needs to recover."

She nodded and popped the pill into her mouth, grimacing slightly but chewing several times and then swallowing. She sat back, suddenly feeling very drowsy.

"I'm going to go to bed…"

Colette practically fell backwards and was asleep before her head touched the sand. Naruto smiled.

"That's a good sign."

Lloyd looked from his friend to Naruto.

"What do you mean a good sign? She just passed out!"

Raine disagreed with Lloyd, explaining why Colette had just done that.

"Lloyd, the body not only rests at night, but heals itself as well. If she fell asleep that fast, it's her body's way of telling her it's time to heal."

Lloyd sat back down and went back to his own meal. After they had finished, they realised that Lloyd, Genis and Naruto did not have sleeping bags or tents on them. Naruto pulled out a scroll from his jacket and pulled out a tent and two sleeping bags. Naruto threw them to Lloyd and Genis.

"You guys take them for tonight."

Genis looked up at Naruto in surprise.

"But what about you, Naruto?"

Naruto looked up at the clear night sky, seeing two full moons shining down on them.

"Tonight's a full moon. On these nights, I sleep alone for the sake of those around me."

Over the past two or so years, the seal had weakened to the point where he got constant dark urges from the Kyuubi. They were especially strong on nights with full moons. Naruto got up and walked to the edge of the clearing.

"I'll be back by dawn. For your own sakes, don't follow me."

Naruto stopped as he heard Lloyd call out to him.

"Naruto?"

Naruto looked around to see Lloyd looking at him, his face full of concern.

"Yes?"

"Be careful, ok?"

Naruto sighed, shaking his head.

"Sure."

Naruto stepped up the steep sand bank and into the tree line. Once he felt he was far enough away, he sat down heavily. Trying to hold back the urges was like trying to stop from going to the bathroom after three days. It was damn near impossible. Jiraiya had said that this stage was somewhat like what puberty was for people. Apparently, it would calm down significantly by the time he was 20. No one could explain what exactly was happening, apart from the fact the seal was weakening. At least, that was until he found the answer half a year ago. It hurt like hell, but he didn't really have the luxury to choose otherwise now. He opened his jacket and pulled up his jumper and shirt, seeing the Double Four Element Seal in full effect, despite the fact he wasn't using chakra. He pulled his right hand out and prepared for the sealing. Each of his five fingertips glowed blue with the symbol for a different element in them. The urges reached fervour pitch as the Kyuubi realised what its jailor was about to attempt. He breathed in deeply and slammed his fingertips onto his navel, grunting and instantly freezing as he felt not only the dark urges stop instantly, but also most of his bodily functions from the lack of the Kyuubi's presence. However, the latter kicked back in quickly and he fell unconscious as his body tried to readjust to this.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning:**

Naruto awoke with the sunrise as he normally did. Last night's events kicked back in. He sighed and pulled up his jacket and shirt again, forming gathering the chakra for the needed unsealing method and he shoved it back into his stomach, growling in pain as he did so. He felt his completely shot chakra control return back to what it as the day before. He stood up slowly and zipped his jacket back up. Right now, he had only one thing on his mind. Food; and lots of it. He walked back through the bushes to see that Kratos was already awake. Kratos looked at Naruto as he came back out of the trees and rejoined them. Naruto looked over at Colette as he took his seat next to Kratos.

"How is she?"

Kratos didn't even break his gaze out to sea as he answered.

"As well as she can be in these circumstances."

Naruto nodded. His instant ramen supply was starting to run low, and he desperately wanted some of the real thing. However, with no fresh water supply and no kettle, he couldn't even eat some of his instant supply. He grumbled and pulled out a scroll that contained emergency rations, pulling out two ration bars. He offered one to Kratos, who shook his head.

"No thank you. I've already eaten."

Naruto shrugged and ripped open his original bar' packaging and bit into it. Raine was the next to awaken. She shuffled around in the female's tent for several moments before coming out in her regular clothes, with somewhat unusual morning hair style. Raine nodded at each of them and plopped down on the sand. It took her five minutes to comb her hair and become fully alert. It was at that point she looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

Naruto looked at her carefully. The most likely answer to her question was going to be a yes.

"It depends. What's the question?"

"How old are you?"

He could go into a long detailed answer about his mental age after exposure to the Kyuubi's memories, or just the straight out regular answer.

"18."

Raine nodded and looked at the ashes of last night's fire. Naruto stood up and looked out to sea.

"Raine, are there many edible fish in this area? I'm going to go catch us some breakfast."

Raine nodded.

"This area is known for its snapper and tuna."

Naruto blinked several times. They had snapper and tuna? Naruto smiled and began walking towards the water and onto it, forming about 10 clones. They looked at him expectantly.

"We need tuna and snapper. And lots of them. Go!"

They nodded and ran off in pairs to scout the surface for fish. The real Naruto retuned to camp and began gathering firewood to cook them with once the clones returned with the fish. When Naruto returned and dumped the wood in a pile, he saw that none of their three younger companions were awake yet. Naruto sat down heavily and sighed.

"He said that the next seal was across the sea, right? Are there any ports around here?"

Kratos nodded.

"To the south west of here across the mountain range on the opposite side of the desert is a small fishing port. That is our best bet to find passage across the sea."

Raine' eyes narrowed.

"Isn't that in the direction of the Ossa Trail?"

Kratos nodded.

"Indeed. That is the only way to get over the mountains on foot."

Kratos gave Naruto a quick glance, indicating he was suggesting Naruto could somehow get over them without touching them. Naruto chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"I can jump pretty high, but no where near that high…"

Kratos looked back at the 'men's' tent to see Lloyd coming out, looking very, very disorientated and dishevelled.

"Mornin'…"

Lloyd stumbled over to the group and sat down heavily between Naruto and Raine. Lloyd was fully awake within a single minute. His stomach growled, making him smirk nervously.

"So, what's for breakfast?"

Several pairs of Naruto clones chose that moment to return with several rather large fish.

"Snapper and Tuna."

Lloyd watched as Naruto built the firewood up and then breathed a small amount of fire onto it, making it flare to life. He then skewered the fish with long sticks and placed then against the fire to let them cook. Genis was the next to wake up. Unlike the others, he came out of his tent in a somewhat more dignified manner. Finally, Colette came out of her tent and sat down smiling at everyone.

"Good morning everyone."

Everyone smiled at her.

"How are you feeling Colette?"

Colette smiled at Naruto's concern for her wellbeing.

"I'm fine thanks Naruto."

Naruto shrugged and flipped the fish over to start cooking the other side.

"So, do you think you can eat anything?"

Colette shook her head, but kept smiling.

"I'm not hungry thanks."

Naruto looked at her in the eyes for 5 seconds, making her feel like he was stripping away everything and seeing into the very depths of her soul.

"I find that very disturbing. If you're not hungry after an ordeal like that, you're either dead or terminally ill. Try eating one bite."

Colette nodded and reached for one of the skewered fish and pulled it off, taking a bite and smiling.

"It tastes great!"

Naruto looked at her dead panned.

"You never struck me as the type for half cooked fish."

Colette smiled while everyone else sweat dropped. Naruto turned back to the fire and waited another two minutes before pulling his of, which the others mirrored. They bit into theirs and chewed several times before swallowing. Just then, more of the clones returned with fish. Raine looked at the clones as they skewered them and placed them on the fire.

"Naruto, we won't be able to eat all of this…"

The clones mock saluted their creator and disappeared.

"That's why we have seals. I'll seal them away for later."

After they had finished their fist fish, Colette stood up and smiled at them again.

"I'm going to go for a walk."

Lloyd looked up from hi now empty skewer at his friend.

"Want me to come with you?"

Colette shook her head.

"I'll be fine, thanks."

Colette began walking off up the little inlet, towards the sea. Genis smirked at Lloyd.

"Ha, ha! You got Re-Jec-Ted!"

Naruto slapped his forehead in disbelief.

"That had to be the most corny and childish call I've ever heard, Genis."

Lloyd smirked at Genis.

"Yeah! We haven't used that since we were 6!"

Genis glared at both of them, but said nothing as he went back. Lloyd seemed o remember something as he looked at Naruto.

"Hey Naruto, remember how you said there was two ninja rank above you?"

Naruto nodded.

"What about it?"

"What was the one directly above you? ANBO or something?"

Naruto looked at the crackling fire, his face completely emotionless.

"ANBU."

Lloyd smiled widely.

"Are they really cool? Like, are they really strong? What do they do?"

Naruto continued staring at the fire as he answered.

"Yes, they are very strong. As for what they do, they're **An**satsu Senjutsu Tokushu **Bu**tai. In other words, specialized assassins. Their missions fall into three main categories; the first is scouting in enemy territory, the second is scouting enemy territory and then killing a target, or the third is just plain killing the target. All ANBU are required to bring the heads of their targets back as proof of the kill. Even the strongest people have only managed to put up with the horrors of being in ANBU for 4 years. It's even driven some of them to insanity, like a thirteen year old who murdered his entire clan by himself."

Everyone was appalled by this. Naruto grabbed a fish and bit into it.

"Now do you see why I don't like talking about my past? That was barely scratching the surface. I will tell you everything when I believe I can fully trust you. Remember, even my closest friends back home don't know everything about me."

No that they knew just a little about Naruto's past, they really didn't want to know anymore in any great hurry. Even Lloyd looked at the ground. Things were silent for the rest of the meal.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Up the Inlet:**

Colette had started to feel very queasy and finally threw up when she believed the others couldn't see her. After she had finished she grabbed her stomach from the pain and fear.

"What's happening to me?"

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Back With the Others:**

They had just finished sealing the last of the fish once they were cooked and packing up camp when Colette came back to the camp. With that, they set off back to Triet to restock before moving on.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Triet, Midday:**

It had taken them half a day to get back to Triet. By now, all they wanted to do was rest. Naruto, Genis, Lloyd and Colette walked down the lines of stalls, leaving Raine and Kratos to themselves.

"I'm worried that Lloyd and the others are unfit for this journey."

Raine snorted at him.

"Apart from Naruto, I don't think any of us are. After all, we are only three school children, myself, a teacher, and yourself, a mercenary. None of us are really 'fit' for this job."

Kratos conceded the point.

"Indeed…"

Both of them followed their younger companions down the lines of stalls, buying supplies of varying descriptions and talking with the locals. Once they had finished that, they decided to head back to the Oasis to continue the water walking training. By now, Genis had it down, but Lloyd still couldn't get it. He was able to stay up for at least 2 seconds before he lost control and fell in. Towards the end of the day, Lloyd had had enough.

"Man, why do I have to learn this? Sure, water walking is cool, but…"

Naruto sighed and looked at the ground.

"Lloyd, do you remember me performing the Rasengan in the Seal of Fire?"

Lloyd nodded. There was no way he would ever forget that.

"Let me show you what you could ever hope to achieve at best with your level of mana control."

Naruto held out his right hand and began spinning chakra into it, adhering it into a poorly formed ball of chakra that resembled a Rasengan. He slammed it into a tree, making a spiral pattern, but not destroying it. After he stepped back, he looked at Lloyd.

"Even if I taught you the Rasengan, this is the best you could hope to do with your control over mana. The Rasengan requires absolutely perfect control over mana in order to do what I did in the Seal of Fire. However, even so, the Rasengan I used yesterday is still incomplete. There is a fourth and final stage to it. Out of the four people who have ever learnt it, I am the only one to ever complete it. If you obtain perfect mana control, I will teach you the Rasengan."

Lloyd scoffed, and went for another attempt.

"I don't need the Rasengan."

Naruto smirked.

"Really? You don't want to be the second person to ever truly master the Rasengan, that not even the strongest man to ever live, the Yondaime Hokage, the man with the most spells ever learnt by a single man, and a previous generation's seal master couldn't learn? Oh well, I suppose I could teach it to Genis…"

Lloyd glared at Naruto.

"I'm going to master this water walking by the time we leave! And then you're going to teach me the Rasengan!"

Naruto smirked.

"A true man never goes back on his words. Make sure you remember that."

Lloyd nodded and turned back to the water, intent to get it done before they left tomorrow morning. Naruto turned back to Raine and Kratos, leaving the other two to train.

"I wasn't there when Ramie told you about the seal. Do we know anything about the next one apart from 'across the sea'? That's a little to broad for my liking."

Raine agreed.

"Across the sea is the capital of the world, Palmacosta. That is also where the main church of Martel is. According to legend, they store the record of the journey of Spiritua, the world's first Chosen. It will tell us where the seals are in much more detail. They apparently give it to every chosen that passes through there. I doubt we will be an exception."

Naruto nodded.

"Personally, I suggest we head out at dawn tomorrow."

Kratos and Raine agreed with Naruto's suggestion. They would need a good night's sleep if they were to make good time tomorrow.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Dusk That Evening:**

Raine, Kratos, Colette and Genis had already returned to their rooms, leaving Lloyd and Naruto at the Oasis. Lloyd almost had the hang of it by now, but not to the point where Naruto felt he had mastered it.

"Lloyd, I'll tell you what. If I give you a tip, I'll let you have one try to get it right. Otherwise, you have until midnight. What will it be?"

Lloyd turned back to Naruto and stared at him. There was a battle of silent wills before Lloyd stood up and sighed.

"Alright, what am I doing wrong?"

Naruto smiled and walked up to Lloyd.

"You're trying to do what you did with the tree climbing exercise and run straight at it. Try stepping to the water's edge and focus your mana. Remember, you have to give off an amount of mana equivalent to how much you weigh. Try it."

Lloyd nodded and stood at the edge o the waters and stopped, taking a deep breath and focusing his mana. He kept his eyes closed and took a step forward. Everything seemed fine, so he took the other foot off the back and placed it onto the water. He continued stepping out until he finally reached the middle of the pond where he turned around to see Naruto smiling. Naruto gave him a thumbs up.

"You pass."

Lloyd cheered and ran straight back to the shore, rather pleased with himself.

"Yes! I did it!"

Naruto smirked and walked back to the inn.

"I'll start training you in the Rasengan tomorrow. We can do it while we're moving. Get some sleep, Lloyd."

Lloyd nodded and ran back to the inn, leaving Naruto behind to smile at Lloyd's retreating back. Things were getting interesting.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next morning:**

By the time it was dawn; everyone had eaten breakfast and were now leaving the village. Once they stepped out of the front gates, Naruto pulled out a scroll and summoned a bag of water balloons. He chucked one to Lloyd.

"Careful, they're fragile."

Lloyd caught it an looked at it.

"What is it?"

Naruto sighed shaking his head in disbelief.

"It's a water balloon. Inside is water and air. However, that's not why I gave it to you. This is the first stage of the Rasengan training. Watch very, very closely, Lloyd."

Lloyd stared intently at the water balloon in Naruto's hand as it started morphing hideously an exploded in a shower of water and water balloon elastic. Naruto looked at everyone else.

"No one say a word. If any of you help Lloyd, the training is over. Lloyd has to figure this out by himself, and unlike me, he doesn't have Kage Bunshin to help him. Lloyd, you need to figure this out by yourself, or you will never get stronger. Now tell me, what did you see?"

Lloyd 'hmm'ed before hazarding a guess.

"Well, the balloon thing was poking everywhere and then it exploded."

Naruto nodded and turned back around.

"Exactly. Now, figure out how to do that. Once you can, we'll move onto stage two. Remember, try and combine elements of water walking and tree climbing."

Lloyd nodded and followed the others over the sand dunes, trying to make the water balloon do **anything** with his mana. By the time they reached the far edge f the desert and the beginning of the Ossa Trail, Lloyd till had no idea of what to do. They walked to the start of the mountain trail. Into a small clearing with a single tree, rocks and tall grass as well as the path leading upwards. None of them noticed the person watching them until she called out to them.

"Stop!"

Everyone did and looked upwards to a rocky outcrop about 25 meters overhead. The figure was silhouetted against the sunlight, but it as definitely a female. She jumped down landing gracefully and allowing the group the first view of her features. Naruto' eyes widened considerably as he saw her choice of clothing. If anything it was a partial battle kimono mixed with ninja trekking gear. The front of the kimono opened to reveal a rather well endowed chest hat was only hidden by a white undershirt of sorts. Her hair was a very Anko'ish style, but black instead of purple. She looked at the group carefully.

"Is the Chosen of Mana among you?"

Colette smiled and nodded.

"Oh, that would be me."

Naruto noticed the woman get into a battle stance.

"Prepare to die."

Both the unknown assassin and Naruto charged for Colette. Everyone else was frozen in place. Both people going for Colette would reach her at the same time. Naruto started from further away, but was faster. Colette stumbled back and tried to regain her balance by wind milling her arms around, but failed and landed on her rear end. Naruto heard a click and the ground below the assassin opened up and she fell in, completely unaware that it as there until too late. They heard a soft thud just over a second later and then silence. Naruto stared at Colette.

"Colette, revealing the fact you are the Chosen can get you into situations like that. Let one of us, such as Raine, Kratos or myself chose whether or not to reveal that fact. If you had not opened that maintenance passage, you would now be dead."

Everyone looked at Naruto as he glared at Colette.

"Colette, she was most likely a kunoichi."

Lloyd tilted his head to the side.

"Kunoichi?"

Naruto nodded.

"A female ninja. The only problem was, she wore neither a Chuunin, nor Jounin flak jacket, nor did she have a Hitai-ate. Without either of those, I can't tell which village she's from. She might be a Nuke-Nin, a ninja who has abandoned their village. But we won't know until we see her again. And I know we will. She was using the basics I have been teaching Lloyd and Genis to aid her movements slightly."

Kratos stepped towards the narrow pathway and looked over his shoulder at the others.

"Naruto is correct. We will most likely see her again. We had best get moving. The path is confined, and the footing is poor."

Naruto and Raine agreed, followed right behind by Genis and Colette. Lloyd shook his head and followed after them, concentrating on his balloon.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**At the End of the Ossa Trail:**

Apart from the single massive hulking monster and several smaller ones they encountered, the trip through the Ossa Trail was uneventful. From the top, they saw a massive circular clearing that gave them a view of most of the continent. This made Naruto very suspicious. There was no way that this could be called a continent if it was this small. However, he filed it away in the 'messed up things that make up Sylvarant' folder in his mind for later. When they got to the bottom and were about to leave, a boarded up part of the cliff face collapsed to reveal the kunoichi. Naruto looked at her, his gaze unwavering.

"Identify yourself, kunoichi. What village do you come from, and what is your rank?"

The female looked at Naruto in surprise as he pulled out two kunai and started twirling them on the same hand.

"How… Wait, are you…"

Naruto nodded slowly.

"Hai. I'm a Tokubetsu Jounin of Konohagure no Sato. Identify yourself."

The woman smirked and charged them.

"If you beat me, you might find out. However, everyone's counting on me, so I can't lose!"

Naruto readied the two kunai and charged her while the others took defensive stances, readying their weapons. The kunoichi pulled out a tag, making Naruto jump back. She smirked at him.

"Scared of a piece of paper?"

"Considering you were probably about to suicide with an exploding tag in the hope of taking me out with yourself, wouldn't you be?"

Sheena's eyes widened before she smiled and flicked the card around so Naruto could see it. Naruto smirked.

"You had me for a second. I didn't expect you to be able to use Fuuin jutsu. Come!"

Naruto made a 'bring it' motion with his hand, and the Kunoichi slammed the card onto the ground, bringing forth some kind of summon from the smoke the card created. Naruto smiled.

"So you can use summons, huh? Two can play at that game! Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Naruto bit his thumb and quickly formed the hand seals before slamming his palm onto the ground, making a roughly human sized puff of smoke. When it cleared, it revealed a frog in amour with a short sword strapped to its side. The Kunoichi stared at it in complete shock.

"A frog? You summoned… A frog?"

The frog glared at the woman and smiled.

"Want to see what this frog can do, kunoichi?"

The kunoichi practically fainted when the frog talked, but steeled herself and charged her elemental summon following her closely. Naruto and his frog charged forward. He pulled out his lance while she readied her seals. Naruto's lance clashed with the card, and much t the surprise of the others, neither moved. They could tell Naruto was putting a fair bit of his strength into his swing. They jumped back and flashed out of existence, reappearing a second later in another weapons lock. They continued this for a while before the female finally scored a hit, slashing Naruto's right bicep, making him grunt and drop his lance. The female smirked at him.

"Now you can't use your lance. Give up."

Naruto snorted as steam started rising of his arm, the wound visibly sealing and repairing scarlessly before them.

"If I can repair a broken neck and a destroyed lung in under 30 seconds, what makes you think this is going to stop me? I'll admit it though. You're strong. As such, I'm not going to use my lance."

Sheena smirked and prepared herself in a defensive stance.

"I thought you'd be stronger without it. You obviously don't use it as a weapon of choice."

Naruto nodded and started pulling off his jacket.

"The condition to taking this off has been met; to protect many important people. This is over."

Naruto dropped the jacket to the ground, making Sheena face fault before getting back up.

"That must weigh at least 175 kilos! You're insane!"

Naruto shook his head.

"You should see one of my Sensei's. He wears 200 on each leg. Now, see if you can keep up."

Naruto disappeared, leaving behind a distinct whistling behind him. No one present was able to see him move until he reappeared behind the female and held a kunai to her neck.

"As I said, this is over. If you don't want to tell me your village, at least give me your name."

The Kunoichi nodded slowly, almost hesitant to draw a breath.

"S-Sheena…. Fujibayashi Sheena…"

Naruto smiled.

"Glad to meet you, Sheena. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Now, are you going to tell us why you want to kill the chosen, or will I have to interrogate you?"

Shena smirked.

"Neither is going to happen. We'll meet again, Naruto."

Naruto noticed two smoke bombs drop out of her sash and hit the ground, making a small explosion of smoke to cover her escape. Naruto sighed and pocketed the kunai, walking back over to his jacket and placing it back on. Naruto looked at the group and shrugged.

"Not much I could have done in that situation. At least we know her name now."

Lloyd was looking around madly for Sheena, but couldn't see her.

"Lloyd, she's long gone. Ninja's often use a smoke bomb to cover their escape when they use Shunshin no Jutsu. As she said, "we'll meet again."

Lloyd grumbled and turned to Raine.

"Professor, why are people trying to kill Colette? Isn't she trying to save everyone?"

Naruto sighed and looked into the tunnel Sheena had come out of.

"It's her mission, plain and simple. You rescue who you're told to, capture who you're told to, and kill who you're told to. It's that simple."

Lloyd stared at Naruto, obviously angry.

"What? How can you do that? That's so cold!"

Naruto snorted.

"Being a ninja isn't a bunch of roses, Lloyd. The Sandaime Hokage had a saying; 'A country's power is a village's power. A village's power is a Shinobi's power. If a Shinobi's power is recognized as strong, so is the country's. The opposite is also true'."

Lloyd glared at Naruto, now at the end of his tether.

"So? That doesn't mean anything!"

Naruto stopped and turned slowly to face Lloyd, making everyone look at Naruto carefully.

"It means more than you could possibly imagine. The difference between being strong and weak is whether or not your village will be invaded and burnt to the ground with you in it. That saying is what stops the next Hidden Shinobi War from breaking out. Every Hidden Shinobi War has hundreds of thousands of casualties. Entire families, clans and villages are wiped out."

Raine stared at Naruto carefully.

"If there was a war of that magnitude, we would know about it."

Naruto shook his head.

"Non ninja would never even know it takes place. Why do you think we call everything 'hidden'? Its because it really is 'Hidden'."

Naruto was about to turn around when he felt a dark urge come no from the Kyuubi, but from inside the maintenance passage. He turned back around and stared into it, making the others look at him in concern.

"Naruto, is something wrong?"

Naruto nodded slowly.

"I'm assuming none of you felt that just now?"

Lloyd rose an eyebrow and scratched his head.

"I felt plenty of things. Which one are you talking about?"

Kratos was also looking warily into the cave with the hand on the hilt of his sword.

"I was certain I felt it as well. It would be best to check it out."

Naruto agreed and all of them walked into the mine shaft, out of the rapidly retreating daylight and into the darkness that was lit only by the occasional candle. Raine looked over the walls, running her hand over them.

"This was an iron mine. The Desians apparently require massive amounts of iron for their operations, and so they create mine shafts like this. This one was abandoned only recently…"

Naruto's hand went to his lance as he felt another dark whispering entice him further into the cave. It was evident Kratos felt it as well from the slight tense of his body. They finally made it into a room that seemed to be the one Sheena had fallen into, if the square hole in the ceiling was anything to go by. There was destroyed and rotting mining gear everywhere, but in the centre of the room was a black skull flanked by two massive swords. Naruto noticed there were black bones littered around the room, possibly belonging to the owner of the skull. As they cautiously approached the skull, they jumped back as its previously lifeless eyes lit up and glowed a golden yellow. The skull righted itself and looked straight at the group.

"**YoU…. StRoNG… Me FiGhT… StRonG OneS… FigHT… ME!"**

Everyone slowly drew their weapons as the skull and bones scattered around the room rattled and flew towards. an area just behind the skull and assembled themselves into a giant headless human skeleton. The skeleton stood p and picked up the skull, attaching it to it's neck before picking up the two massive swords and grinning at them. Lloyd was for once somewhat hesitant to start the battle.

"He's really strong…"

Naruto nodded in agreement. At that point, they became aware of a massive of small monsters converging on the room, almost like they were possessed, if the yellow glow in their eyes was any indication. Naruto looked at his companions and made the battle assignments.

"Raine, Colette and Genis with me. Kratos and Lloyd try and keep them off our backs! Let's go!"

Everyone went t their assigned tasks. After quickly withdrawing their weapons, Lloyd and Kratos charged into the ever increasing swarm of monsters in an attempt to keep their numbers manageable. Naruto charged in at the giant skeleton, but back flipped out of the way as it made a massive horizontal sweep with one of it's swords. Colete and Genis were charging up offensive spells while Raine was beginning a supportive one. Naruto took hold of his lance again and charged the skeleton. He brought his lance up into a quick defensive block as the skeleton brought it's other sword down in a massive vertical slice. Naruto was only just able to take the sheer force put behind the blow without being cleaved in half. At that point, Colette cast her spell.

"Angel Feathers!"

Naruto ducked and rolled out of the way, putting the skeleton off balance, giving it no chance of blocking the bright pink halos of holy magic that ripped through it's body. Everyone was about to celebrate when the monster let out an evil, echoing laugh. The destroyed bones were replaced by others that morphed and replaced the missing ones with copies. Naruto had seen something like this before several years ago.

"Corpse Bone Pulse…"

Raine cast her spell just then.

"Ray!"

A ball of holy energy came into existence right above the monster and fired beams of energy in all directions, and a final one down through the middle of the skeleton. Genis chose that moment to unleash his spell.

"Oh yeah! Cyclone!"

A slight breeze surrounded the skeleton which had just finished repairing itself. The skeleton regarded the slight breeze carefully but lumbered forward. However, the slight breeze quickly turned into a strong wind and finally into a tornado that ripped things up and hurled them around the room. The skeleton hissed in pain before it was finally dropped to the ground. Most of it's bones were destroyed, but they began repairing themselves quickly. It shakily stood back up, before readjusting its grip on it's twin swords. Genis groaned.

"This thing is invincible…"

Naruto shook his head.

"No, it's not. It's weak point would be it's organs, but since it has none, the only way to kill it is to completely destroy it. Guys, I have a plan. I want all of you to cast your most powerful offensive spells. Let's try a team combo."

They nodded as Naruto rushed forward to halt the roaring skeleton's advance. After a 20 second deadlock, the rest of them were ready. Colette and Raine cast their spells first.

"Angel Feathers!"

"Ray!"

The two attacks met and a bright flash of white light was emitted when the attacks combined. A rainbow coloured magic circle covered the entire floor and beams of light smashed into the ground randomly, numerous ones striking the skeleton. Naruto jumped back as Genis cast his newest spell again.

"Cyclone!"

Naruto started twirling his lance around as Genis focused the cyclone around Naruto. It eventually got to the point where Naruto was literally in the eye of the storm as he announced his spell.

"Fuuton: Fuuryu no Tatsumaki!"

The cyclone thinned and then formed a dragon's head which glared at the skeleton that was half destroyed, howling in agony. Naruto directed the dragon of air to slam into the remaining parts of the skeleton. The dragon of air began winding it's way around the room, making sure to destroy everything left of the skeleton before changing course and moving between Kratos and Lloyd to clean up the remaining monsters that had gathered. Naruto slowed down and came to a stop not too far away. Lloyd looked in shock at Naruto and the damage he had caused to not only the monsters, but nearly to himself as well Naruto looked back to see what looked to be the spirit of the skeleton's head floating, staring directly at Naruto. Naruto walked up to it and stared it in the eyes.

"Do you know someone by the name of Kimimaro?"

The skull froze for a second before nodding slowly.

"**KimIMaRO… ParT oF… Me."**

Naruto sighed and nodded.

"I thought so…"

"**I fIGhT… AgaIN… SoOn…"**

The skull disintegrated into dust and spread over the floor. Naruto sighed and turned around. At that point, Lloyd glared angrily at Naruto.

"What were you trying to do back there? You almost hit us!"

Naruto looked at Lloyd with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"Would you rather I have left you to fight the monsters? You do know if I did that, you would now be dead, right?"

Lloyd grumbled and sheathed his swords, while the others sheathed their weapons. Lloyd called back over his shoulder.

"I'm not sure if I can trust you, Naruto. You won't tell us your past, and at times, it looks like you're trying to kill us."

Naruto glared at Lloyd before walking straight past him, talking back over his shoulder to them.

"Let's just get going. I've told you before, when I feel I can trust you completely, I will tell you everything."

The others stood there for a second as Naruto walked back out into the mine shaft and towards the exit. The others shrugged it off and began following him. Colette was looking down at the ground as she spoke to Lloyd who was beside her.

"Lloyd, please don't be too hard on Naruto…"

Lloyd snorted and continued walking.

"Why does he have to be so arrogant?"

Colette looked up at Lloyd, a desperate look in her eyes.

"Lloyd, please promise me you'll wait until you judge him…"

Lloyd looked at Colette for a second but nodded.

"Sure. I promise…"

They exited the mine ad walked out of the Ossa Trail, continuing on for an hour, fighting off several bandits before they finally reached the fishing port Kratos spoke of. Once there, they quickly saw that Kratos' initial assessment of the fact it was small was an understatement. It consisted of about 3 houses and one other main building. Naruto took this in and stopped when he saw what he could only guess where humans in some form of fluffy pink cat suits wearing safari gear. In short, they looked incredibly stupid. Naruto paid no attention to them and walked through the small town towards the docks. Naruto noticed the others were tired so he called over his shoulder to them.

"I'll look for transport. If you want, do some supply shopping or something else."

They nodded and looked over the small general supply store as Naruto walked onto the docks. There was a small boat shed and a total of four boats of varying descriptions. Naruto saw a group of people with hiking gear crowding around a wanted poster of Lloyd and Naruto. Naruto ignored them and walked passed them to the nearest boat and the person on it, who seemed rather absorbed in scrubbing the deck. Naruto walked up to the boat and the man looked up.

"Can I help you, lad?"

Naruto nodded slowly.

"I need passage for myself and my companions to Palmacosta."

The man snorted and went back to scrubbing as he answered.

"No one leaves port anymore because of the monsters. If we had escort from a Palmacosta warship, it would be a different matter, but we don't."

Naruto sighed and turned around, muttering just loud enough for the man to hear.

"Well, I suppose the Chosen could swim across the sea instead…"

The man stopped working and looked up at Naruto carefully.

"Did you just say the Chosen?"

Naruto smirked and turned around.

"I did. We need to get to Palmacosta to continue the journey of World Regeneration."

The man scratched his head and sighed, chucking the brush back in a rather dirty bucket of water.

"When do you want to leave?"

Naruto smiled and saw the others just finishing their shopping.

"Right now."

The man sighed and shook his head as he began preparing the boat for departure. The group came up to Naruto and looked at the boat.

"So, you got a boat? That's great, Naruto!"

Naruto smiled and stepped aboard.

"Thanks, Colette."

Everyone got on until just Raine was left.

"I was afraid this journey would force me onto a boat at some point…"

With that, Raine stepped onto the boat and the owner raised the sail, pulling out of port.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Half a Day Later:**

As the sun set, the group pulled into Palmacosta docks. It was definitely large. Possibly larger than all the towns and ports they had visited so far combined. Once they pulled into port, the owner of the boat sighed and looked at the group.

"Good luck. I'll stay here until I can get escort from a Palmacosta warship."

Naruto nodded and stepped off the boat with the others right behind him.

"Thank you."

The man nodded and sat back against the small cabin, gazing out to sea. Naruto and the others were instantly assaulted by smells of a massive variety of foods, as well as heated metals. Around them seemed to be a market aimed at selling things to new comers. Naruto looked over their Gald reserves. They had enough to buy a new weapon and armor piece each. Naruto looked at them and then at a sundial next to him.

"Meet up in 30 minutes at the entrance to the city. Spend wisely."

They nodded and took a small amount of money for themselves, splitting off their separate ways. Naruto and Lloyd went straight to the weapons store. The selection was nothing short of amazing. Naruto quickly found a halberd and a pair of rapiers for Lloyd that all had a wind affinity and was a marked improvement on their current weapons. Once they bought it, they moved onto the armor shop that was next door. They found that the reinforced leather armor being sold was far better than theirs. They purchased one each and decided to head to the meeting point. They passed people who gave them strange glances but continued on their way. After almost twenty minutes, the rest of the group rejoined them. It seemed everyone had replaced their weapon and armor. As per usual, they gave it to Naruto who pulled out everyone's own weapon and armor scrolls, sealing everything inside them and handing them back to them. They nodded in appreciation before walking into the city. Just as they were about to round the corner, another group were doing the same from their other side. Colette and a rather rugged looking man collided with each other, making them fall backwards. The man dropped the bottle he was carrying, shattering it all over the pavement. The man got back up and glared at Colette who looked sadly at the potion.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."

Another man in the other group stared at her.

"You think an apology is going to cut it? That was a Palma Potion. They're rare and expensive!"

Naruto snorted, making the others look at him.

"If it's that rare and expensive, what are you doing flashing it out in the open like that? That's just asking someone to steal it."

The man stormed up to Naruto, standing level with him.

"Who asked you?"

Naruto smirked.

"It's not a matter of who asked who, and if you don't get out of my face, I may or may not decide to make sure you can't do it again."

The man reached for his sword angrily when the female of the group called out to him.

"Stop. We need to get out of this city as soon as possible. Let' just have them replace it and go."

The man turned this over in his mind for a moment but stepped backwards, taking his hand away from his sword.

"You should count yourself lucky."

Naruto snorted and turned away, with the others giving the other group one final look and then followed Naruto down the market street, passing several stores that had signs saying 'Palma Potion; Out of Stock' or something to that degree. Finally they found a shop that didn't have a sign, so they pushed open the door to see a young woman in a yellow skirt with brown hair and eyes behind the counter 'serving' two Desians.

"Oh please! There's no way anyone would sell those gels to anyone at a price that low!"

One of them glared at her, bending down to rest a hand on his whip handle.

"You should be grateful we're even willing to spend money in a run down dump of a store like this."

The girl snorted and put the gels back under the counter.

"And there's no way I'd sell them to a couple of slimy Desians like you!"

The man with his hand on his whip withdrew it, anger flashing over his visible lower face.

"Why you little-"

The other looked at his companion sharply.

"Stop. We've already exceeded our quota for the year. We have to seek permission from Lord Magnius first."

The other smiled and put his whip away while the other continued.

"Depending on his mood at the time, you may or may not get to keep that pretty little head of yours."

The girl smirked and stared at both of them, full of confidence.

"Just try it. As long as Governor General Dorr is around, he won't let you do anything!"

They smirked and turned to leave, making Naruto and co freeze. Apparently, the Desians either didn't recognize them or thought they were invisible. Once they had walked out the door and closed it, Naruto tried to restrain his laughter, partially succeeding.

"Those Desians really are idiots!"

The girl looked up at the voice and smiled at them.

"Sorry about that. Anyway, can I get you anything?"

Naruto walked up to the counter and saw a small basket of Palma Potions.

"Could I get a single Palma Potion, please?"

The girl smiled and pulled one out, setting it on the counter as Naruto pulled out ten 100 Gald pieces and placed them on the counter, which the girl took with a smile.

"Thanks you."

Naruto nodded and smiled at her. Just then, a middle aged woman came down the stairs at the back of the shop, smiling at the girl and then the customers. The girl gave the elder woman a quick hug and then pulled a coat off the rack.

"I'm going now, mum!"

The woman nodded slowly.

"Take care, Chocolat."

The girl walked passed her and out from behind the counter towards the door.

"I will, mum."

Once Chocolat had left, the woman smiled warmly at them.

"Do you need anything else?"

Naruto shook his head and smiled at her.

"No, just this."

The woman nodded and pulled an apron on.

"Well then, enjoy your day."

Naruto nodded and they left the shop, heading back towards the group they had met earlier. They handed over the potion, which the man of Naruto' height snatched.

"Seems you kids know what's good for you."

Naruto snorted and turned away.

"I'd like nothing more to show you what's 'good for me', but this area is too confined. Personally, I would suggest not making me angry. Now, unless you have any other demands, we'll be leaving."

Colete bowed slightly, offering another apology, heading towards what they assumed to be the center of town. Raine turned to Genis when they spotted a particular building in the distance.

"That is the academy you were recommended for. I suggest stopping by when we have the time."

Everyone agreed but stopped when they saw a young boy run up to a blond man as well as a young pigtailed blond girl.

"Dorr, when will daddy come home from the ranch?"

Dorr looked surprised before bending down, placing a hand on the child's shoulder.

"When did I promise you I would rescue your father?"

The boy frowned for a moment before answering.

"A year ago…"

Dorr smiled sadly.

"It won't be long now. I almost have everything I need to do it. Just wait a little longer, ok?"

The boy nodded slowly and Dorr stood back up, walking towards a large set of wooden doors flanked on both sides by guards. The guards saluted him and opened the doors to let him inside, closing them once he had walked inside with the girl that was with him. Naruto looked around them. There was a massive Church of Martel, the building Dorr had just entered, and the academy which Genis and Raine were talking about as the three main buildings in the town square. Naruto looked back at the group, seeing them making the same assessments he was.

"Well, we can do several things. We can go to the Academy, the Church or see Dorr. Any preferences, Colette?"

Colette's eyes widened before looking at the three buildings, finally settling on the academy.

"Why don't we go to the Academy?"

Naruto nodded and they headed towards the large, three story building, opening the solid teak door to see many students bustling around. One pair of students walked up to them.

"Can we help you?"

Genis nodded.

"Um, I received a recommendation to join this Academy…"

The first bespectacled boy laughed, smirking at Genis.

"You? Recommended? As if. This school is for the top students of the world!"

Naruto shrugged.

"Judging people by your first impressions is usually a surefire way of ending up dead. Genis is very intelligent, I'll give him that."

The other boy smirked, coming up with an idea.

"Well, if he's so smart, why don't we have a mock exam to prove it? I'm this Academy's top student!"

Genis nodded slowly.

"Ok then… I accept…"

The second boy nodded.

"I'll prepare the questions. When you're ready, meet in the first classroom o the third floor."

Naruto smirked as he remembered his first Chuunin Exams.

"Room 301… And a paper test to boot…"

Everyone looked at Naruto questioningly as he headed towards the stairs, looking back at them when they didn't follow him.

"I suggest brushing up on our knowledge."

They nodded slowly and followed Naruto up the stairs, finally finding a spare room and taking their seats. Rane stood up the front of the room as the others took their seats.

"Any areas you want to work on, Genis?"

Genis thought for a moment before coming up with an idea.

"What about imaginary numbers?"

Raine smiled slightly and nodded.

"Good idea. You always did have trouble with them."

After half an hour, Genis felt he had practiced enough and stood from his desk. Raine looked over the others.

"Shall we go and take the test next door, then?"

They nodded and stood up, filing out the door and opening the door next to them. Inside were the two boys and an elderly man, who Naruto assumed was the headmaster of the Academy. The headmaster nodded slowly at them.

"I have heard of the challenge. Out of fairness, I have decided on the questions. Please take a seat and we will begin."

Everyone took a seat and the headmaster began handing out the four sheets which made up the test. He placed on in front of everyone, making Lloyd look up in confusion.

"Eh? I'm doing it too?"

Naruto nodded.

"The first test for a Chuunin Exam is always a written one. The survival and tournament come later."

Lloyd shrugged and waited for the word to start. The headmaster looked over the group and then nodded slowly.

"You have one hour. Begin!"

Everyone immediately turned over their papers when Naruto got an idea. He closed his eyes and then reopened them, his irises now blood red. He was channeling a minute amount of the Kyuubi's chakra through his system; just enough to give him massively improved sight. Naruto looked sideway out of his eye to see Raine writing furiously and he began copying her answers. It was more habit than anything. He as sure he could answer most of them himself, but he wanted to learn about the geography of this world from Raine discretely. Raine finished quickly, while Naruto checked 'his' answers, finding out a lot of valuable information about Sylvarant. After the hour was up, the headmaster called for them to stop and collected the papers. Once up the front, he quickly marked them and then announced the results.

"In last place I Lloyd Irving with 25."

Lloyd looked visibly quite pleased with himself.

"Aright!"

Colette smiled at Naruto.

"That's your best score yet, Lloyd!"

Practice everyone in the room sweat dropped. The headmaster continued reading out the results.

"Next was Collete Brunel with 250."

Naruto smirked as Lloyd looked gob smacked.

"What? This test isn't out of 100?"

The headmaster shook his head.

"No, it is out of 400. Next was Kratos Aurion with 375."

Kratos nodded slowly as the headmaster turned to Raine and Naruto.

"Tied for first pace were Raine Sage and Uzumaki Naruto with 400."

Naruto sat back, content with his 'information gathering' session. Everyone looked a Naruto in astonishment.

"Wow, Naruto's really smart…"

Naruto smiled and listened to the headmaster announce the st two results.

"Now, Genis Sage and Mighty Washington; Mighty came fourth with 398 while Genis Sage came third with 399."

Mighty's eyes widened as he looked at Genis.

"Wow, no wonder you received a recommendation to come here… You're good. Sorry for doubting you…"

Genis smiled widely and accepted Mighty's hand.

"Don't put yourself down. You definitely earn the top position here…"

The headmaster looked over the two boys and smiled, chuckling softly to himself.

"Genis, I would love for you to stay here and learn."

Mighty nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, stay here, Genis!"

Genis shook his head slowly.

"I can't. At least, not yet. I have to help regenerate the world…"

Mighty looked downcast for a moment before brightening up almost instantly.

"What about after the world regeneration?"

Genis looked over the group, who seemed to endorse whatever decision he decided on. Genis nodded slowly.

"After it, I'll come back here."

The headmaster nodded and scribbled something down on a piece of paper, handing it to Genis. Genis smiled. It was an official invitation to join the Palmacosta Academy. Genis bowed deeply before taking the headmaster's hand.

"Thank you."

The elderly man shook his head.

"It was a pleasure. Good luck with your regeneration journey."

They thanked the headmaster and filed out the door. Lloyd turned to Naruto in admiration.

"I didn't know you were so smart, Naruto…"

Naruto snorted and burst out laughing.

"I'm not smart. At least, not smart enough to get a perfect score on a test like that."

Genis' eyes narrowed.

"So you cheated?"

Naruto shrugged.

"In the word of ninja, information can be more important than your own life. The goal of my first Chuunin Exam was to cheat without being caught. And this time, I didn't have a bunch of examiners breathing down my neck to stop me."

Naruto chuckled and walked ahead of the group towards the stairwell. Nice they were outside; they quickly agreed that they had best see Dorr. The guards at the double wooden door allowed them entrance, where they saw guards posted a around the room like they were expecting an invasion. Behind a roughly U shaped desk were three people. Dorr, the child they saw with him earlier and another man. The group walked up the red carpeted stairs to the desk where Dorr smiled warmly at them.

"Welcome to Palmacosta. I am Governor General Dorr. Can I help you?"

Raine nodded.

"We were hoping to see the guide of Spiritua if possible."

Dorr looked surprised for a second but answered quickly.

"Normally, I would not hesitate, but the Chosen has just today come through here and as tradition states, we gave her group the sacred text."

Naruto groaned.

"This Chosen, did they happen to have six people in the group around our heights?"

Dorr nodded.

"Indeed they did."

Naruto slapped his forehead.

"I knew there was something up with those bastards we met earlier. They were impersonating us…"

Dorr's eyes widened considerably as he leaned on the desk, staring directly at Naruto.

"Are you trying to tell me those others were imposters? How dare you! Guards!"

The guards around the room started forward and surrounded the group, but Naruto kept smiling.

"Tell me something, Governor General. Did the Chosen have wings?"

Naruto looked at Colette and nodded. Colette quickly brought out her pink wings made of mana, making the others gasp in surprise. Dorr rubbed his eyes before looking at the guards.

"Guards, stand down at once! She is without a doubt the true Chosen of Mana!"

The guards immediately lowered their weapons and returned to their positions around the room. Dorr shook his head, still trying to come to terms with this.

"I don't believe this… We were conned…"

Naruto shrugged and looked around the room.

"Is there any chance you can tell us what the contents of the scripture were?"

Dorr shook his head at Raine's question.

"It was written in the language of the angels, so only the highest of the bishops in the Church of Martel are capable f reading it. I also know it was never copied…"

Naruto grunted in frustration.

"I don't believe this… We have to go after them. We won't be able to find the other seals without it."

Naruto looked up at Dorr in a deadpanned expression.

"Please send word if you find out the location of the scripture."

Dorr nodded.

"Of course. Please forgive me…"

Naruto sighed heavily and turned back towards his companions.

"The only thing we can do is search. We should try heading north."

All of them agreed and followed Naruto out the door, leaving a somewhat embarrassed Governor General behind.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** For some reason, I kinda didn't like this chapter. I think I rushed it. However, to tell you the truth, I included absolutely everything that happened except the exchange at the wharf after the seal of fire, which was not necessary in this fic because of Naruto. Anyway, Yay for the introduction of Sheena! I'll update my other fics soon!

Ja na,

Specula...


	5. Magnius of the Pyroclasm

**A/N:** Hey there again, everyone! You know something? After I announced my semi retirement from fic writing because it was becoming a chore, do you know what the very first thing I got was? 'If you're going to quit finish your damn story first.' Anywho, thanks to the vast majority of you who supported my decision, and to those who decided to get on their high horse and remove me from their favourites list saying it's my fault that people are abusing me for not updating what they want when they want and that I'm an idiot for making Naruto into something he's not, frankly, despite the fact you could turn a pretty phrase, it was all wasted. You know why? Because you mistook me for someone who gives a damn.

Also, the ideas I have for new fics just will not go away, and so I have an idea. I don't think it's been done before, but I'm going to start new fics, get them established and then **purposefully** stop them once I deem them 'developed' enough. Why? Because that's when anyone can take it and run with it, as long as they give me credit for the storyline, any original characters and do what they want with the story, or if they want and if I have an idea of where the fic is going, I'll give them the general idea of what I wanted to happen and they can write it. Why would I do that? A couple of reasons: One, if people don't like the way it's going, I can say 'if you don't like the way I do it, rewrite the story the way you think it should be done like I have or shut it.' And two, I can stop writing whenever I want, because I usually deem my story 'developed' enough once I've gotten bored with it.

Now on to the good stuff, so to speak; for those of you who know the story line of Tales of Symphonia, I propose a vote to you:

**Naruto: Pact Maker or no? **

Just leave your answer with a review for any chapter until I close the votes, which will be fairly soon.

I intentionally left this vote cryptic so that only those who've played the game will understand what I mean. Why? Because I don't want people voting for either option and then when they find out what a Pact Maker is and saying 'OMG, Naruto can't be a Pact Maker!' Believe me, the difference between Naruto being a Pact Maker and not being one will affect the story and quite possibly the plot dramatically. Don't like that? Sorry, but maybe you should play the game then. Trust me, you won't regret it. Best 99.95 AUD I ever spent on a game for Gamecube. And now you can buy the Wii and play it as well. Two birds with one stone. Oh and for the love of whatever being you pray to, do not go blabbing to the world what a Pact Maker is if you know what it is. Not only will it take an indefinitely long time to explain what exactly a Pact Maker is and how it could influence the story, but the majority of people still won't get it and stuff up the vote.

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU/SPELL..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Two Worlds, Two Ninja:

Chapter Four:

Magnius of the Pyroclasm:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Outside the Office:**

Naruto was not happy to say the least as he walked briskly out of the office. He didn't take notice of much, but one thing he did notice was a large number of workmen going down the docks nearby where a lot of construction seemed to be going on. Shrugging, Naruto decided to check it out when Raine called out to him.

"Naruto? Shouldn't we be finding the scripture?"

Naruto called back over his shoulder.

"We're running low on supplies. Setting out now would be foolhardy. I'll be back in a bit."

They nodded and decided to go and get some basic supplies while Naruto checked out the docks. As Naruto drew nearer, he saw that most of the workers were working on a rather large ship. Naruto walked up to them and stared at the ship in interest. One of the workers seemed to notice Naruto taking interest and smiled.

"This is the latest in technology! The steam ship Isabella! Isn't it great?"

Naruto looked over it before turning back to the man.

"Truthfully?"

The man nodded, full of confidence.

"It's completely obsolete."

All work stopped as Naruto said this and they looked at him for an explanation.

"What? This is the latest in technology! It can't be obsolete!"

Naruto waved a hand dismissively.

"You're not even using a metallic hull, and you're still using **steam**, of all power sources."

"He's right. How the hell do you guys live?"

Naruto froze as he heard that voice in the crowd behind him and turned around and spotted who he thought he heard.

"I knew we'd meet again, Sheena, but I didn't think it'd be so soon."

Sheena froze and looked at Naruto with a look that clearly showed she thought she was up the creek without a paddle.

"Naruto? If you're here then that means…"

Naruto used body flicker to get near Sheena, only to find that she was now standing on the water, smirking. Everyone gasped and stared at Sheena in awe. Naruto laughed.

"Too crowded here isn't it? Let's go!"

Naruto jumped over the heads of the crowd and onto the water, charging out to engage Sheena. By now, a lot of people were racing down to the docks to see what was going on. Naruto pulled out a kunai and locked with Sheena's card. They pulled back and stared at each other before Naruto smirked and started forming hand seals. Sheena created a mana circle and both of them began their spells. Most people began murmuring in fear as an almost demonic voice called out the names of animals seemingly at random.

"O-ushi, Saru, Usagi, Nezumi, O-hitsuji-"

Sheena's eyes widened as she could feel Naruto's mana level increasing dramatically. Whatever this spell was, it was going to take a while to cast and when it was, it was going to be big.

"Tori, O-ushi, Uma, Tori, Tora, Inu-"

Sheena noticed that the water in between them was starting to ripple. Her spell was almost ready. She didn't intend on letting Naruto cast his spell.

"Tora, Hebi, O-ushi, O-hitsuji, Hebi, Ousu-buta, O-hitsuji, O-ushi, Saru, Tori, Ryu, O-ushi, Uma, O-hitsuji-"

Finally, Sheena's spell was ready and she began her chanting.

"Spirits of water, lend me your power to purify my enemy-"

"Tora, Hebi, Nezumi, Saru, Usagi, Ousu-buta, Ryu, O-ushi, Nezumi, Saru, Tori, Nezumi, Ousu-buta-"

Sheena could see that Naruto was on the verge of casting his spell as the water began casting small waves from a rising pillar.

"Water Dragon!"

"Tori! Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"

The spire of water in the middle of them rose up and formed a dragon of water that roared and charged Sheena just as she unleashed her own water dragon. Both of them twisted in mid air before biting down on one another and dispelling. Both of them charged forward, again locking weapons. Naruto smirked causing Sheena to jump back. Naruto decided he'd play this out how he remembered it from his past. He closed his eyes and pumped a small bit of Kyuubi's chakra into his left eye and placed a small Genjutsu over it to make it look like a Sharingan. Although the Kyuubi's chakra dramatically enhanced his senses to the point where it was able to see the predicted movements of others like the Sharingan could, that's where the similarities stopped. Naruto had to rely on his gut instincts and predictions for the rest. Once he reopened his eye, Sheen glared at him, or more specifically, his left eye. Naruto decided to get things started, using his timing to predict her line of thought and where to butt in.

"-His eye…"

Sheena looked dumbfounded for a second.

"-Is he talking about…"

Sheena flinched visibly at Naruto's perfect prediction of her thoughts.

"How the hell are you-"

"Reading your thoughts? Long and complicated story."

Sheena began to get into an offensive stance which Naruto mirrored perfectly. Sheena glared at Naruto.

"-Seeing through me perfectly!"

Sheena growled and shouted out at Naruto which he mirrored.

"THERE'S ONLY ONE REAL ME!"

Sheena was rattled completely and she charged recklessly in, which Naruto took full advantage of.

"I'LL MAKE SURE YOU CAN NEVER OPEN THAT COPYCAT MOUTH OF YOURS AGAIN!"

Naruto vanished, making Sheena stumble and try to readjust her balance. Once she had come to a stop, Naruto appeared behind her, kunai to her neck.

"Humans are completely predictable creatures, Sheena."

Sheena was shaking in rage and humiliation as Naruto continued talking to her casually.

"But that's not the point. I want to know some things. For instance, which village you come from and why you're trying to kill the Chosen."

Sheena grunted and fell flat to the water, giving Naruto's shin a good boot before vanishing completely while he was distracted, leaving a somewhat annoyed Naruto behind. He grunted and holstered the kunai, blinking, dispelling the Genjutsu and cutting of the supply of Kyuubi chakra to his eye before walking back to shore, the people parting for him like he was some kind of god. It was then that Naruto felt Kratos side up to him. He answered the unasked question.

"That kunoichi is persistent, I'll give her that."

Kratos nodded and they continued into town where they saw the rest of the group exiting a supply store with the last of their supplies. Naruto walked up to them and pulled out the separate scrolls for food and medicines, quickly putting them in and then putting the scrolls back in his jacket. Without a word, Naruto turned to the city gates nearby and waked out; leaving everyone but Kratos wondering what had happened.

"What's his problem?"

Kratos answered in his usual calm manner.

"Naruto spotted and engaged the kunoichi again; however, she managed to escape."

All of them took this on board and they followed Naruto outside. Now that they had another continent to explore and no leads whatsoever on the next seal, any direction was as good as another. Spotting the coast nearby to the south, the group decided to head north along a well beaten path. The trip was relatively uneventful, and taken in almost total silence. Naruto wanted to speed up and catch the impostors, but no one else would be able to keep up with him. Leaving his mission objective unattended was very bad policy, and so he had to stay with them. After almost a weeks travel, they reached a House of Salvation, where they rested up overnight. They quickly left in the hopes of being able catch up. Lloyd decided to have another crack at the first stage of the Rasengan training and pulled out a water balloon and began concentrating again.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Three Days Later:**

Most of the party was tired and grumpy when they arrived at a mountain path which a signpost had identified as Harkonesia Peak. At a small ledge in the side of the mountain range, a cottage stood with many strange, seemingly random objects that had no apparent use in this area. It was almost like someone was hoarding them for the sake of hoarding. Lloyd expressed everyone's thoughts as he was unconsciously apt to do.

"What's with all this junk?"

"THIS IS NOT JUNK, LLOYD IRVING!"

Everyone whipped their heads towards Raine as she practically began frothing at the mouth. Genis groaned and slapped his forehead.

"Oh no, she's in ruins mode again…"

Raine began spewing forth a slew of words that were so garbled and quick that no one could tell if she was even speaking the same language as she went from object to object, fussing over it obsessively. Lloyd, Genis and Naruto stood in front of Kratos and Colette and all sweat dropped.

"Any idea of what she's saying?"

Genis shook his head at his life long friend's question, still focusing on Raine.

"No, and I see this often... Any ideas, Naruto?"

Naruto also shook his head.

"I've channelled as much chakra to my ears and eyes as they can stand without causing damage. I can't make out a single word from what I hear ears or from what I see with my eyes…"

Lloyd looked at Naruto in astonishment.

"You can lip read?"

Naruto shrugged.

"I thought I could… Up until I met Raine, anyway…"

They decided to leave Raine there and check inside the cottage and just forget this whole incident. What they saw inside was almost a mirror image of outside, taking into account that it was inside and not outside. There were various objects covering every available place inside the small one roomed house. The only difference was that there was an old man in the middle of it. The man turned to face them, looking over them in mild interest. His nose was abhorrently large and bright red, and he was leaning on a staff heavily, obviously no longer able to support his own weight.

"What do you lot want?"

Naruto looked at him in total neutrality. This man was obviously in a bad mood, either that or he just generally disliked people.

"We were wondering if you happened to see a group pass by here that were carrying the Scripture of Spiritua."

At the mention of the ancient manuscript, the man's eyes lit up in recognition and he smiled.

"Oh yes, the Chosen and her group just happened to pass through here yesterday. She was even kind enough to give the Scripture to me. I'd almost given up hope of ever getting my hands on it."

Naruto took a slightly deeper than normal breath, which was on the verge of being a sigh.

"Would you mind if we took a look at it?"

The man glared at Naruto.

"No! Not only would I never let you put your filthy brutish hands on it, but I don't speak to men."

An idea popped into Naruto's head and he smiled widely.

"Is that so? Well then, if that's how it's going to be…"

Naruto placed his hands together in a ram seal and let out a small 'ha' before being surrounded in smoke. Once the smoke cleared, Naruto was no longer there, only a gorgeous blond girl of around Naruto's age striking a very seductive pose. She winked at the man and just about every single man in the room's jaws dropped and they flew backwards, twin trails of blood spewing forth from their nose as they crashed into the walls directly behind them. Raine and Colette were completely speechless as Naruto, or Naruko was surrounded in another veil of smoke, before revealing the Naruto they were all familiar, grinning like an idiot.

"It's been way too long since I used that jutsu…"

The males slowly recovered, staring at Naruto with total disbelief in their eyes. Lloyd pointed at Naruto, a vein pulsing on his forehead.

"What the hell? What kind of a spell is that?"

Kratos was still shaking his head while the old man didn't know what to make of it.

"I thought you were more mature than that, Naruto…"

Naruto snorted and looked at them a small hint of sadness and mischief in his eyes.

"I never got to enjoy my childhood, so my 'inner child' makes an appearance every now and again."

The old man was staring at Naruto in disbelief before he got an extremely perverted grin on his face.

"If you change back into that form again for an entire day, I'll let you look at the scripture."

Naruto snorted again, more loudly this time.

"I'd expect a lot more than the scripture for that. Hell, even when my Sensei, one of the most powerful men on the planet, initially requested that of me in exchange for teaching me everything he knew, I turned him down."

Both Lloyd and Genis were gob smacked that Naruto wouldn't jump at the chance, but both Raine and Kratos who were older saw the merit behind Naruto's decision.

"Maybe you're not as immature as we thought, Naruto."

Naruto shrugged in indifference while the old man grumbled.

"Teasing an old man like that, how heartless."

Naruto looked straight through the man, sending shivers down his spine. Everyone got the feeling of impending doom when all conversation stops after a very risqué comment is heard and they become the centre of attention.

"Don't you **dare** call me heartless again; After the atrocities I've been forced watch, let alone commit against my will, I'm surprised I even have one left at all, much less my sanity."

To say that Naruto walked angrily out the door would have been an understatement. Lloyd looked out the door towards Naruto's quickly retreating back.

"Somehow, I want to find out less and less of Naruto's past…"

Everyone else in the group readily agreed with Lloyd's statement. Raine turned back to the old man.

"I must apologise for our companions' behaviour."

The man looked at Raine and his eyes lit up.

"Oh, it's no problem! Now, what can I do for a beautiful young lady like yourself?"

Raine thought over it and answered quickly.

"Is there any way you would let us take a look at the scripture?"

The man 'hmmm'ed for a moment and nodded.

"There is a statue of Spiritua in the house of salvation of Spiritua. It's an ancient artefact, and I would very much like to add it to my collection. If you get that for me, I'll let you look at it."

Raine nodded. It was probably as good as they were going to get. The rest off the group turned and walked out the door to see a large group of people standing around and talking. Naruto was with them. When the group approached Naruto, he looked at them with something that looked almost like worry.

"The Desians are mobilising. They said that Palmacosta is under Desian occupation while they make a public demonstration and execution."

Raine was confused beyond belief, as well as shocked the Desians would pull a stunt like this.

"What about the Palmacosta military? They should be more than enough to defend against the Desians…"

Naruto shook his head.

"They're apparently away on a training exercise."

Kratos let out a miniature sigh, which they just heard over the hubbub of the crowd.

"It seems that the Desians were waiting for an opportunity such as this to strike."

Naruto nodded.

"I think we should head back to Palmacosta for now."

Genis looked at Naruto like he'd grown another head.

"What? That's stupid! That's like sticking your head into a lion's mouth!"

Lloyd on the other hand, disagreed instantly.

"What are we waiting for? Let's get back there!"

Lloyd didn't wait for an answer and turned to walk briskly down the path before he realised something was wrong. He turned around and saw that no one was following him.

"Well? Are you guys coming?"

Naruto looked at Lloyd reproachfully.

"What chance do you think we have of making it there on foot before the execution is carried out?"

Lloyd thought about this for a second and then stamped his foot in frustration.

"Dammit! Isn't there anything we can do?"

Naruto smiled and nodded.

"As an old acquaintance of mine used to say; 'if the tool doesn't work, get a bigger one'."

Naruto bit his thumb and started forming hand seals before slamming his hand on the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

A massive cloud of smoke appeared, covering the entire area, making everyone but Naruto cough and splutter. When they opened their eyes, their jaws hit the ground. Before them was the biggest frog they'd ever seen. None of them even came up to its ankle. The frog looked down at the group, or more specifically Naruto.

"**What do you want, Naruto?"**

Naruto looked up at Gamabunta reproachfully.

"I haven't summoned you in 2 years and the first thing you say to me is 'what do you want, Naruto?' Well, since you want to know what I want, we need to get to Palmacosta ASAP."

Gamabunta looked at Naruto and burst out laughing, making most people grab their heads from the volume off the bellowing laughter.

"**Since when did I, the great Gamabunta-Sama become your personal mount? If you wanted a ride, you should have summoned one of my kids!"**

"They wouldn't get us there fast enough."

Gamabunta stopped smiling and became serious.

"**What did you say?"**

"We need to get there before they execute someone. It's down the coast about three days walk for us."

Gamabunta considered this and then sighed.

"**Alright, get on. But don't think I'll do this whenever you get lazy!"**

Naruto nodded and jumped up onto the back of the king of frogs. Kratos was having a little more difficulty, but got up there quickly enough. The others looked at themselves and shrugged, running up his back and taking a seat.

"**Hold on tight and don't blame me if you fall off!"**

Naruto looked at all of them.

"I personally suggest sitting down. I've had a bit of practice at this and you'll fall off unless you do sit down on your first try."

Everyone but Lloyd nodded and sat down. Lloyd on the other hand thought he could handle it.

"Eh, I'll be fine. What could possibly go wrong?"

Naruto smirked as he looked sideways at Lloyd.

"Famous last words."

Gamabunta crouched to spring and everyone saw why Naruto had suggested sitting down. Lloyd stumbled and was then slammed back into Gamabunta's head as he sprung off the mountain and down the coast towards Palmacosta with Lloyd screaming all the way.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Half an Hour Later:**

Gamabunta had quickly covered the normally three day trek in just less than half an hour. Just as Palmacosta came into sight, Naruto looked down at the ninja frog king.

"This is as close as we should go with a lift. It'll scare the people of Palmacosta to no end seeing a giant, talking smoking frog."

Gamabunta snorted and came to a sudden halt, throwing Lloyd straight off his head, plummeting to his impending doom. Before anyone had a chance to scream out to Lloyd, Naruto jumped off Gamabunta's head, falling towards Lloyd faster than Lloyd was travelling. Less than 10 meters from the ground, Naruto caught up and grabbed onto Lloyd before twisting and putting Lloyd into a bridal style carry as he hit the ground, using chakra to soften the impact. Lloyd on the other hand did not use chakra to do so, and flew straight out of Naruto's arms, rolling several times before coming to a stop. Lloyd coughed and spluttered as Naruto looked down at his student.

"When I give people advice, it's usually for a good reason. Lloyd."

The others had now hopped down to check on Lloyd. Lloyd glared up at Naruto.

"Couldn't you have at least caught me properly?"

Naruto looked at Lloyd blankly.

"I could have stayed where I was and let you turn into a puddle of blood and gore on the ground if you'd have preferred that."

Lloyd had no comeback to that, so he got up, dusted his clothes and mumbled something before looking at Palmacosta.

"We have to get there quickly!"

Everyone agreed as Naruto turned back to Gamabunta.

"Thanks for that."

The giant frog took a heavy drag of his pipe and exhaled.

"**Whatever. The kids are waiting for me back home. Ja."**

Gamabunta raised a webbed hand and exploded into a cloud of smoke and disappeared. Naruto turned towards Palmacosta and scowled.

"We may not have much time. If we run there, it will take us 15 or so minutes. If you get tired, tell me and I'll hand you a soldier pill. Let's move!"

All of them nodded and ran in the direction of the capital of Sylvarant, hoping they could make it there before the execution was conducted.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**At the Gates of Palmacosta, 15 minutes later:**

The group burst in through the front gates of the port town, and could tell something was off immediately. Normally, there should have been a few people at least wondering around, but the place was deserted. Naruto heard a rustle from behind a building and tensed slightly, but relaxed when he saw a dust ball being carried in the wind across the street. Apparently, the others didn't see it, as they were too busy looking around. Then it struck Naruto.

"There are no deserts around this area… Why are there dust balls?"

Raine heard Naruto mumbling to himself and looked at him.

"Did you say something, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head.

"No, it was nothing. We should get moving. If they were to hold an execution anywhere, it'd be in the town centre."

They nodded and moved quickly down the main street and over the bridge into the town centre, where they indeed confirmed their suspicions. Every villager was surrounding the centre, where they could see a makeshift platform, obviously designed to hang someone. As if to illustrate the point, there was a familiar old woman on the platform. Naruto recognised it as Chocolat's mother, who they had bought the Palma Potion off. At the back of the crowd, near the entrance to the Academy, the group parted as a short, stocky figure carrying an absurdly large battle axe twice the height of his own body stepped through. He had a vicious scar running over his left eye and blood red dreadlocks. One of the townspeople was stuck in his path, quivering in fear.

"It's Magnius from the Eastern Ranch…"

Magnius stopped in front of the man and with his free hand lifted the man off the ground by his neck and gave it a savage twist, killing the man instantly.

"That's **lord** Magnius to you, Vermin."

With that, Magnius dropped the body unceremoniously to the ground and continued forward to stand beside three Desians in purple uniforms and slammed his axe head into the ground to lean on it with both hands and placing his booted foot on the blade, striking a very imposing image. Everyone's attention was drawn to the Desian to the direct left of Magnius that wore a somewhat regal uniform, indicating he was an officer of sorts as he projected his voice to the crowd.

"Citizen of Palmacosta! This woman has been found guilty of refusing to aid us with supplies, and while we have reached our yearly kill quota, Lord Magnius has granted us permission to carry out her execution as a lesson to all those who would defy the might of the Desians!"

Naruto was aware of someone running up behind them and turned to see Chocolat, who's face twisted into a look of pure horror as she saw what was about to happen.

"Mum!"

Chocolat ran forward, but was stopped by a gentle hand placed on her shoulder. She whirled around to see Naruto looking sadly at her.

"If you go in there now by yourself, what could you hope to achieve other than adding to the death count?"

Chocolate looking both defeated and angry at the same time. Naruto told the truth, but it still hurt.

"Do you expect me to just watch while my mother dies?! How can you say that?"

Naruto smirked as he looked directly at Magnius as he approached the platform.

"Who said your mother was going to die?"

Everyone looked at Naruto confusedly as he disappeared, and reappeared in front of Magnius.

"That's as far as you go Magnius. Take another step, and I'll do things to your body which will make snapping that man's neck look like the act of a saint."

Magnius tried to comprehend not only how someone could move that fast, buy why they would put themselves in a situation of certain death. Then he realised who it was.

"You're the A level wanted Criminal, Uzumaki Naruto! If you're here that must mean that the Chosen is also here. Which also means that the wanted criminal Lloyd Irving is here as well! Oh this is just too good! All three of my targets in one place at one time!! Just one of your deaths is enough to have me promoted to the leader of the Five Grand Cardinals! All three of them would secure that position for eternity!"

Naruto looked at Magnius blandly as the redhead threw back his head and laughed manically.

"When you've finished with your little delusional daydream, perhaps we can get down to business and put you in your place?"

Magnius' head snapped back and glared at Naruto.

"Watch how you address me, Vermin."

Naruto looked down at Magnius and smiled.

"Watch how you address me, Midget."

A vein popped on Magnius' forehead as his face began to turn read. He readied his battle axe and glared madly at Naruto.

"Prepare to die!"

Magnius charged forward, raising his battle axe over his head in an attempt to cleave Naruto in two. Naruto was shocked that such a short overly muscled half elf was able to move anywhere near as fast as he was. Naruto recovered from his shock and disappeared, reappearing on top of the execution platform, a kunai being held against the rope that held Chocolat's mother around the neck.

"You really haven't planned this all too well have you, Magnius?"

Magnius smirked and pressed a button on the handle of his axe, making the trap door fall open and making Chocolat's mother begin her short decent. Naruto knew the second the rope pulled taut, it was over so he pulled the kunai in his hand back ready to slice the rope in half. It was then that he saw another problem. Not only were the guards charging him, but the rope was a mixture of hemp and metallic threads. In other words, a kunai would not be able to sever it in one swipe, no matter how much power was behind it. Naruto saw the rope reaching its full length when a chakram whizzed past his ear and severed the rope clean in half and preventing the death of Chocolat's mother by a fraction of a second. A wave of mana raced across the ground and slammed into the first guard who was ripped into pieces by the powerful attack. Naruto took this opportunity to gather the elderly woman and get back to safety. He then turned around and stared daggers at Magnius who was cursing loudly at his guards for being incompetent. Naruto forced a large amount of killing intent into his stare, forcing Magnius to look directly at him.

"This is the last time you mess with the Desians, boy!"

Naruto's face twisted into a mask of pure anger and hatred.

"No, this is the last time you will interfere with us!"

Naruto looked at both Lloyd and Genis.

"Remember how I told you about the power of the gates? I'm going to show you what kind of power and the pain from opening just the first one. Watch carefully."

They nodded as Naruto closed his eyes.

"The first two conditions have been met…"

Magnius laughed out loud, smirking at Naruto.

"What on earth are you babbling about boy?"

"To protect many important people… And to protect the one who means the most to me…"

Naruto took off his jacket and threw it aside, causing a massive crater and plume of dust to rise out of it. Naruto formed four Kage Bunshins who surrounded Magnius. Naruto smirked at the Desian Cardinal.

"I hope you enjoy this… Dai ichimon… Kaimon… Kai!"

The other clones were apparently doing exactly the same thing while the real Naruto rushed in with incredible speed and began running in a circle around the half-elf. Magnius was unsure of what to make off this, but he wasn't given the chance as Naruto appeared from the dust ring and gave him a savage kick to the chin. Whether it was because he was so heavy himself, his massive battle axe or both, Magnius wouldn't float. Naruto smirked and placed his hands on the ground and pushed himself off.

"I'm not done yet!"

Naruto landed a savage kick to Magnius' gut, and then another to his chest, which Magnius managed to block with his axe. The crowd watched in amazement as Naruto continued kicking the one they all feared right up into the air, high over their heads. Naruto grimaced as a surge of pain went through him, but continued with the jutsu as he grabbed Magnius around the back and began rotating wildly. The four clones on the ground were forming hand seals in unison as the original Naruto began his decent.

"Take this! Meteor Impact!"

All four off the clones breathed out a giant fireball each that exploded upon impact with the pair. They continued their decent as a flaming ball of fire that hit the ground and exploded outwards, making everyone cry out and cover their eyes. Once the fires had died down enough, they looked back to see a very badly burnt Magnius who was only just able to breathe if his condition was anything to go by. Naruto, however, appeared back beside his friend, panting heavily without a single burn mark on him. Naruto clutched his legs and hugged them, letting out a strangled cry of pain. The group could hear Naruto's bones protesting from the stress placed on them. Magnius' guards quickly surrounded him and stared at the group.

"How dare you do this to Lord Magnius!"

Magnius managed to get into a kneeling position.

"I'm leaving the rest up to you. Don't fail."

With that, Magnius was surrounded by a brief mana circle and then he disappeared. The remaining three officers slammed their staves into the ground and began forming a spell which was directed at Naruto. Naruto looked up and tried to get up, but fell over again. The officer finished their spells and launched three balls of fire at Naruto. Naruto looked at the fireballs as they reached ever closer to him. Just as they were about to impact, Genis ran up from behind Naruto and activated his force field defence, making the three balls of fire bounce harmlessly off it and disappear. Genis deactivated the spell and smirked as he headed back to the group.

"Amateurs…"

The officers growled and charged in with their two remaining guards and engaged the group. Naruto could only watch as his companions battled the Desians with relative ease. Once the last one was dispatched, the group came over to Naruto to check his condition. Naruto looked up at Lloyd and Genis.

"There's no shortcut to true power. The only 'shortcuts' that exist will take more than they give. Remember that."

They nodded and helped Naruto up. It was then that Governor General Dorr approached them.

"Thank you! I don't think we would have been able to stop the Desians while the army is away. If your friend requires medical attention, please feel free to use my private facilities. It's the least I can do to thank you."

Naruto nodded gratefully.

"Thank you…"

With that, Kratos slung Naruto's arm around his shoulder and hefted him up. Lloyd took Naruto's other side, and despite being a tad smaller than Naruto, he managed to help Kratos take Naruto into Door's mansion. The crowd began to follow them, but Door's two personal guards shook their head and took either side of his door.

"Only those with personal invites from the Governor General may pass this point. We will inform you of Naruto's situation as news comes."

They nodded and decided to mull around for any news on their saviour.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**30 Minutes Later:**

Dorr's personal physician was at a total loss with Naruto. He stood back up after checking his pulse for a 5th time, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I just can't explain it. In my thirty years of medical training and practice, I've never seen someone recover from internal injuries like your own so quickly. Given they were minor as far as internal damage goes, it should have taken you a full day at the very least to recover."

Naruto shook his head and jumped off the examination table.

"No matter how serious the injury is, I've taken at the very most one night to recover from it."

The physician sighed and nodded.

"Since you're fully recovered, there's no need for me to detain you."

Naruto nodded thankfully and stepped outside the room to see his friends whose head whipped around as the door opened. Their faces lit up when they saw Naruto walk out. He nodded to them.

"Just needed a bit of rest. Lloyd, Genis."

Both boys looked art Naruto intently as he addressed them.

"Do you see now what I mean by there's no shortcuts to power? If I didn't have my special healing abilities and minor medical knowledge, I would have been out of action for at least a day. If Genis hadn't saved me, it might have been indefinitely. Thanks for that, Genis."

Genis smiled and nodded.

"No problem, Naruto."

Kratos looked at Naruto with narrowed eyes as he spoke.

"Naruto, from the way you asked both Genis and Lloyd to watch you open the gates, there was an implication that the more you open, the more powerful you become. How many gates are there?"

Naruto looked at Kratos levelly.

"There are eight in total. Opening the fifth gate allows you to move faster than the speed of sound. Opening the eighth turns you into a living god capable of destroying entire armies by yourself. However, the price for opening the eighth gate is death."

Everyone's but Kratos gasped at the price for that kind of power. Kratos closed his eyes and nodded slightly.

"I thought it would be something along those lines. A true double edged sword."

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. In any case, we should probably go and search for the seals."

Raine nodded slightly as she picked her staff up and looked at Naruto.

"Just after you left the house, I managed to strike a deal with him. In exchange for an artefact from the nearby house of salvation, he will let us read the scripture at our leisure."

Naruto nodded as everyone else grabbed their weapons and stood up.

"That sounds like our best course of action. Anyone disagree?"

Everyone shook their heads so Naruto nodded and walked forward, grabbing his light armour and cloak which had been washed for him and his lance which had been polished. He walked down the corridor towards the exit and pushed open the large double oak doors to see all of Palmacosta looking at him anxiously. Naruto knew what to do in situations like this and slowly raised his free hand and smiled, which set the crowd into a thunderous roar of approval. Naruto walked out into the crowd and was instantly hefted aloft and carried in whatever direction the crowd was heading. He looked back at his companions sheepishly and called out to them.

"Might as well celebrate."

They shrugged and nodded, following the crowd as they took Naruto through the streets. Colette smiled at the scene as she talked to Lloyd.

"Naruto looks really happy."

Lloyd nodded and smirked.

"It's almost like they think he's the Chosen instead of you."

Colette looked at Lloyd questioningly before smiling and turning back to follow the crowd.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Several Hours Later:**

After a small, unofficial festival was held in Naruto's honour, where an abhorrent amount of alcohol was consumed by the general populace, Naruto finally decided that they had best get moving. However, before they did, there was one thing left he wanted to check. He politely excused himself, much to the chagrin of the people and walked outside. Naruto's companions were quick to disengage themselves from the mostly intoxicated patrons of the bar and follow Naruto outside. Once there, Naruto looked at them and smiled brightly.

"I haven't been that warmly received in quite a while… Anyway, I want to check up on Chocolat and her mother before we head out. From what I've been told, Chocolat's mother is suffering nothing but a small bit of stress."

The others nodded and they walked directly across the road to the shop Marbel's, where they had first met the pair. They opened the shop door to see Chocolat gathering several small herbs from a shelf, possibly to make some sort of remedy or another. When the door opened, she turned and when she saw who it was she smiled and placed the herbs on the counter and glomped Naruto, much to his shock.

"Thank you so much for saving my mum! I don't know what I would do without her!"

Naruto cleared his throat, clearly flustered at the situation.

"Uh, no problem, I guess…"

Chocolat separated herself from him and smiled widely.

"Mum wanted to see all of you before you left town again."

Naruto nodded as Chocolat went back to the counter and picked up the herbs.

"Is she upstairs?"

Chocolat nodded.

"Yes. She's taking a rest in bed right now, but she insisted that I take you to her as soon as you came in."

The group followed the young girl up the stairs and down the corridor to a room where Chocolat's mother was sitting on the edge of a bed. She smiled wearily at them.

"Thank you so much for saving me earlier."

Naruto shook his head dismissively.

"No problem. Are you feeling alright?"

She smirked and nodded.

"Better than what you seemed to be feeling like after the battle."

Naruto chuckled and nodded.

"That sounds about right. Anyway, I've been wondering, is there any particular reason you called this shop Marbel's?"

Both Chocolat's and her mother's demeanor darkened slightly. Chocolat nodded.

"It's named after my grandma, Marbel. She set this shop up originally before she was taken away to the ranch. We're trying to keep this shop running in memory of her."

Naruto nodded.

"I see. Lucky I did save your mother then."

Chocolat nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, if she had died, I don't know what I would have done."

The room fell silent for several seconds as the implications set in of what would have happened if they had been just one more minute late. Chocolat broke the silence as she turned to her mother.

"Mum, how can people believe in Martel when she makes us suffer like this?"

Chocolat's mother gave her a very reproachful look and chided her.

"Chocolat, how can you say such things in front of the Chosen?"

Naruto shook his head in disagreement.

"It's not an uncommon thing to refuse to believe in something that they cannot sense in any way, shape or form, in other words, something that could be nothing more than a myth."

Kratos nodded in agreement.

"Naruto has a point. There are those who reject not only religion, but also salvation. People generally fear change, no matter what form it takes."

Colette shook her head in disagreement.

"The goddess Martel is looking over each and every one of us. She won't let the Desians continue for much longer before they anger her and she will seal them away."

There was silence for another moment before Chocolat looked back to her mother.

"Mum, I'm going to go back to the tour group."

Lloyd looked shocked for a second before he spoke his mind.

"After what's just happened, you're going to leave?"

Kratos crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke.

"Now is the exact time to leave and search for personal salvation."

Naruto nodded.

"It's times like these that makes one question exactly who they are, what they are and what they want to be, and the best way to do that is to soul search. I did my soul searching when I was about Chocolat's age."

Lloyd looked up at Naruto in confusion.

"Soul searching? You mean finding your own soul?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, but not in the way you're thinking. It means looking deep into yourself and trying to find answers. Your soul can tell you absolutely everything about yourself if you're able to commune with it, even things you didn't know."

Lloyd grumbled and turned away from Naruto.

"What was that, Lloyd? You think I'm full of it?"

Lloyd stiffened and turned to face Naruto, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Heh heh, I forgot about your hearing…"

Naruto smirked and turned back to Chocolat.

"Good luck with finding yourself. Just one piece of advice. To find out who you are and what needs to change, you can't just want that change to take place, there must be a need for it as well. You'll understand what I mean when you find yourself."

Chocolat nodded as she picked up her travel bag and smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, Naruto."

Naruto nodded.

"No problem."

With that, they said their goodbyes to Chocolat and her mother and left the store, heading towards the city gates and to the House of Salvation.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** There we go. If you're wondering what Naruto meant by 'finding yourself', 'needing to change' and all that deep stuff, it's the advice others who had done their soul searching gave to me before I did mine not too long ago. Before that, I didn't understand the true meaning of it. Now I do, and since that situation happened in the game, minus Naruto of course, I thought I'd implement the most important lesson you can learn in life here. The difference between saying 'yeah, I know I need to change and I want to' and actually fully understanding it is a sign of full mental maturity. Anywho, enough of this deep stuff, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

Catch you guys and girls around. Specula.


	6. Palmacosta and the Seal of Water

**A/N:** Hey there again guys. For those of you who know the Tales of Symphonia story line, you'll probably realise that it takes the piss out of most other games in a sense that you start the 'game', and straight ahead of you is the final boss' domain through a narrow valley, and he creates a rockslide that barely comes up to your head, but no, you can't climb over it. You have to go on a long winded path, doing pointless quests and whatnot before you find some obscure item that will move the rocks for you which turns out to be a shovel. In this chapter, I'm going to go over the top and have Naruto point how full of it the general storyline is. Just remember for those of you who haven't played the game, the man Naruto questions said exactly what he says here, but no one picked him up on the sheer stupidity of what he said, just made comments like 'how can you be so clumsy?' and the like.

**Vote: Pact Maker or no?**

Ok, there really is no point in continuing this vote. The answer is a resounding yes. And no, I'm not going to give Naruto all of the pacts, just the ones in Sylvarant. After all, the four main Summon Spirits there most suit Naruto; Light, Wind, Fire and Water, and I have something special in mind for the most 'secret' one in Sylvarant. For those who don't know what a Pact Maker is and want an explanation, I'm not going to give you one. Why? Because the game will be made into an anime series this year. That's right, the game will be made into an **Anime Series**.

On a final note, Sorry for not updating in so long, but I just could not remember the name of a certain boss in the game that makes her appearance in this chapter. When I went over to my family's house for Christmas lunch, my brother was playing the game and he reminded me of it.

Started work again today as well…. By god, I didn't know a week of relaxing could soften me up so much… So much skin was rubbed off the soles of my feet that they are **bleeding** after my first day back… And yes, it hurts…

Thanks again to Kyuubi no Yoko 9 for betaring.

Happy new year to all of you.

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU/SPELL..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Two Worlds, Two Ninja:

Chapter Five:

The Truth Behind Palmacosta and the Seal of Water:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Two Days Later:**

Once they left Palmacosta, the group had originally decided to head north to the House of Salvation to recover the Statue and be on their way. However, on the first evening a thief managed to steal a fair portion of their Gald. They tracked the thief back to a small forest on the other side of the continent, a day's walk from Palmacosta. When they got there, they found a crudely made hut which seemed to the thief's hideout. After quickly dispatching the thief and recovering their Gald, they decided to look through what other prizes he had claimed. Apart form various objects of worth; there was precious little of use. As the group walked back out of the forest and continue on their way, they saw a caravan that looked strikingly familiar. Naruto smirked and walked through the last of the foliage, the others right behind him. This time however, the young woman was not by herself, but with a group that appeared to be her family. Naruto waved to them.

"Hey there, long time no see."

The group turned around before their former young hostess smiled warmly at him.

"Naruto! It's good to see you again! And you as well Lloyd and Genis!"

The woman introduced her family to the group and they explained what had happened directly after the burning of Iselia. Raine smiled.

"Thank you for taking care of both Genis and Lloyd."

The woman smiled warmly at Raine.

"It was my pleasure. I was quite lonely by myself, but the three of them warmed the place up."

Naruto chuckled at the memories before smiling warmly.

"Yes, thank you for your hospitality. While I can sleep outside for weeks on end, I prefer a proper bed when possible."

The woman chuckled at Naruto's humour.

"I think that's the case with all of us."

After a bit more chit chat, Naruto noticed one of the younger boys playing with a nut. Naruto bent down and looked at the nut and then the teen.

"I've never seen a nut like that before… What type is it?"

The boy looked up at Naruto and smiled, showing some of his teeth missing.

"It's a linkinut! It's really rare and I think this may be one of the last ones!"

Naruto nodded, his eyes wide with interest. The boy told Naruto what he knew about it.

"They come from a really special tree! I found this one up the very top of the Ossa Trail."

Now that Naruto thought about it, he remembered a rather large open almost perfectly circular area at the very peak of the Ossa Trail. He also remembered that the ground there was far too compacted to be soil or even dirt. Naruto looked back down at the boy

"We went though there not too long ago, but the tree wasn't there… The stump was, but it had been well worn down over the course of at least 2 years…"

The boy looked sad as he continued turning the nut over in his hand.

"That was the last tree of its kind I think…"

Naruto sighed in disappointment.

"What's so special about these nuts?"

The boy gently blew onto it and Naruto heard the most stunning and gentle notes being played inside it while the boy blew on the nut. The boy stopped and looked up.

"When we blew on one off these when were at the tree, this golden sparkling bird appeared!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Golden Sparkling Bird? Can you tell me something about this bird?"

The boy nodded and waited for Naruto's question.

"Did the bird have more than one tail, and if so, how many?"

The boy's eyes widened before he went into deep thought.

"It definitely had more than one… I think it was about… Seven."

Naruto couldn't believe his ears.

"Shichibi no Suzaku…"

The full implications hit Naruto like a ton of bricks.

"Oh dear god no…"

If Shichibi no Suzaku was here, Akatsuki would want to get their hands on it. And now that Naruto was in the same world as it, Akatsuki would come here for sure. The boy looked up at Naruto worriedly from the look of fear on Naruto's face.

"Naruto? Are you ok?"

Naruto looked down at the boy with an almost stern look in his eyes.

"Who knows about this bird?"

The boy looked shocked but answered anyway.

"We don't get many visitors, and we haven't had any since we saw it except you and your friends…"

Naruto nodded. That was a relief. The more people who knew, the worse the situation would get.

"Promise me you will never tell anyone else about the bird except those here now, ok? This world might be destroyed if you do."

The boy wanted to think this was a joke, but Naruto's serious demeanor told him otherwise.

"O… Ok, I promise…"

Naruto nodded and stood up.

"Thank you."

After a bit more chatting with the others from Nova's family, the bird became the topic of conversation again. Naruto spoke up then.

"This bird is not what you think it is. It's one of the nine greater demon lords, Shichibi no Suzaku. The fact that it's here disturbs me to no end. I know a group of nine very powerful men who are after it and the other eight demon lords. Each one of these members is as powerful as me, if not more, all guilty of mass murders, genocides and general causing of mayhem. The existence of this Shichibi needs to be kept quiet or I guarantee this world will cease to exist as you know it."

The group let this sink in for over a minute and decided it was best to leave this topic alone. After a bit more chatting, Naruto and his companions left the caravan to continue to the House of Salvation.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Two Days Later:**

When they got to the House of Salvation and walked inside, they saw a Pastor and another member of the church, quite possibly his personal assistant. The Pastor immediately recognised Colette.

"Chosen One! What an honour it is to see you again!"

Colette smiled warmly at the elderly Pastor.

"Oh, I remember you Father! You taught me parts of the Angelic Language as a child!"

The Pastors face brightened considerably. Obviously, Colette had remembered correctly.

"That's right. I'm happy you remembered me. Now, to what do we owe the honour of this visit?"

Colette looked nervously at her companions before Naruto answered.

"We need the Statue of Spiritua for the Journey of Regeneration."

The Pastor smiled and nodded.

"As a Pastor to the Church of Martel, it is my duty to serve the Chosen in any way possible. Bring the statue here!"

Naruto noticed instantly that the Pastor's helper was nervous about something.

"I'm… I'm sorry Father… That's not possible…"

Everyone looked at the man, and could tell he wanted to just crawl into a hole and die.

"What do you mean, it's not possible? Explain immediately!"

The man began stammering before swallowing and explaining just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"This one here is a fake I had crafted by a dwarf near Isalea after last years Pilgrimage to the Thoda Island Geyser…"

Lloyd's eyes narrowed.

"A dwarf near Isalea? What was his name?"

The man looked at Lloyd as he answered.

"His name was Dirk."

Lloyd sighed and scratched his forehead.

"Dad, just what kind of jobs are you doing…"

The Pastor seemed ready to, despite his age; unleash hell upon his aide as he explained.

"We take it with us because its halo is pure diamond, and it protects us from thieves… When we got to Thoda Island, I was so moved by it that I dropped it and it landed on a ledge on the other side of the geyser…"

Everyone tried to take this in as Naruto snorted loudly and doubled over laughing, making everyone look at him strangely. Raine was most concerned in this unusual change in Naruto's behaviour.

"Naruto? Are you alright?"

Slowly, Naruto's fit of laughter subsided and he stood up and grinned at the man.

"Ok, let me get this straight… You take a statue… With a halo made of solid **diamonds** as some sort of ward against **thieves** who specialise in stealing, and who would kill anyone, much less you to get at that?"

The man nodded sincerely.

"And then you defied the laws of gravity and **dropped** it **across** a geyser of boiling hot water?"

The man nodded again and Naruto fell to the floor laughing, smacking his fist against the ground.

"Oh that's a classic! That's so stupid it's actually funny!"

Slowly, Naruto recovered and grinned at the man, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You're new name is Fulla."

The main stared at Naruto in pure incomprehension.

"I'm sorry?"

Naruto snorted, trying to hold in his laughter.

"Fulla. Fulla crap."

Every single person in the room face faulted, leaving Naruto standing and smirking.

"This place really does amuse me to no end… I have to see if Fulla really is full of it or not… This is going to be interesting."

With that, Naruto strolled out, letting out a lengthy snort or chuckle every few seconds. Slowly everyone recovered and Raine again apologised for Naruto's behaviour when Lloyd butted in.

"You know, come to think of it, Naruto had a point… That's a pretty hard to believe story…"

The man bowed deeply.

"My most humble apologies…"

With that, they headed out of the small House and saw Naruto standing at the top of the stairs leading to the crossroads waiting for them obviously very keen to see if this was true or not. They followed a Pastor's directions to the docks to Thoda Island and quickly came to a small building with a wharf. After going inside, they saw a receptionist behind the counter who smiled at them.

"Welcome to Thoda Island Tourism Centre, the best… Well, the only way to get to Thoda Island. It's 400 Gald for a return trip."

Naruto nodded and handed over the 400 Gald and took the group outside to the wharf. When they got there, they saw what their means of transportation was. Lloyd being the ever observant one pointed it out.

"It's a… Washtub?"

Everyone sweat dropped and Naruto face faulted. He quickly recovered and stared in disbelief at what he'd paid 400 Gald for. He then looked at the horizon seeing Thoda Island nearby.

"I'm running there. Genis and Lloyd, you're chakra control or capacity isn't good enough yet to make the trip."

Naruto stepped off the wharf and turned to face them. Lloyd shrugged and smiled.

"This could be fun! Let's go, Professor!"

Lloyd grabbed Raine's hand but released it when she jerked back.

"AAAH!"

Everyone looked at Raine for an explanation. In a stunning rendition of Raine's response, Lloyd asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Aaah?"

"I… I was saying 'ahh, this could be fun.'"

Raine got into the wash tub with everyone else staring at her. Kratos almost snorted as he took his while the others took their own wash tubs.

"Right… Let's just get going…"

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Half an Hour Later, Thoda Island:**

Naruto hopped up onto the wharf from the water with everyone close behind.

"Man, I thought I was going to drown…. My washtub leaked the whole way here…"

Everyone agreed with Genis' complaint in one way or another. Naruto could no longer wait and walked briskly up the winding path. The others saw the geyser firing its jet of super heated water into the air. They began walking up and when they got to the top, they saw Naruto rubbing his eyes and staring at a specific ledge on the other side of the geyser.

"I'll be damned… Fulla's not so full of it after all… I don't even want to know how he did that…."

Lloyd looked at the ledge Naruto was looking at and saw the thing they came for; the statue. The only problem was actually getting it without being vaporised by the super hot water. Naruto smirked and disappeared as soon as the geyser's very short cycle had finished, landed next to the statue, picked it up and reappeared next to them. Colette smiled warmly.

"Wow, Naruto! You're so cool!"

Naruto smiled and put the idol in his backpack.

"Thanks Colette… Colette, is something wrong?"

Colette was staring at a billboard with background info of the island on it.

"I think I've seen this place before…"

Naruto shrugged and looked around.

"Well then, why don't we check it out? We have the time and we could do with a bit of sight seeing to relax."

Everyone agreed with Naruto and so they followed Colette up the small stone stair way to find something behind the sign which they'd never thought they'd find. Lloyd smiled brightly.

"Hey professor? Isn't that a whatchamacallit stone?"

Raine sighed at Lloyd's pet name for the stone, but nodded.

"Yes, it's an Oracle Stone Lloyd. We managed to find the Water Seal. Colette, if you would be so kind?"

Colette nodded and placed her hand on the stone. Nothing happened for a moment until the rocks from a section of the cliff behind the geyser burst and fell into the geyser, revealing an entrance. What really got to Naruto was a bridge made of what looked to be pure blue mana appeared leading from next to the Oracle Stone to the hole in the cliff. Naruto smirked.

"Well, that was a pure stroke of luck on our part…"

Kratos nodded and took a step forward onto the bridge.

"Indeed. Although it makes sense that the Seal of Water would be in a place like this. We should make our way inside."

They nodded with Naruto taking up the front and Kratos taking up the back and everyone else in between them. Naruto was just about to walk into the cave when he caught sight of Sheena trying to catch up to them. He smiled to himself and walked inside. Once they were all inside, Naruto smirked.

"At least Noishe will stop Sheena from following us inside it seems… I don't want to deal with her just yet."

Kratos nodded slightly in agreement. Everyone else seemed shocked that both men had seen this while they had not.

"Sheena's here?"

Naruto nodded.

"Lloyd, a ninja and also a warrior must be able to take in their surroundings in any given situation."

"Not doing so will mean your death, Lloyd."

Lloyd spun around at Kratos' remark and stared at him angrily.

"Since when did you get the right to judge me? Since when are you perfect? Not even Naruto's that stuck up!"

That last remark seemed to strike a deep nerve with Kratos. Naruto only just noticed it from the slight muscle tension in his sword arm.

"I am not perfect, Lloyd. I have made my fair share of mistakes… I made a very grievous one…"

"What did you say?"

Kratos shook his head and continued walking into the cave.

"Forget it…"

The rest of the group stood there processing this admission from Kratos when Naruto whistled appreciatively.

"Now **that** was enlightening to say the least…"

Naruto smirked as he crossed off a huge portion of his mental 'what exactly is Kratos' list. Naruto continued to follow Kratos deeper into the cavern. However, Naruto could feel something tugging on the edge of his mind, almost drawing him deeper into the Seal's cave. He shook it off and followed the group down the multiple stair case to the underground section of the cave, stopping to pick up items that had been strewn around. Naruto even found a much higher quality lance which he picked up and tested it. Even more strangely was that it was a wind geared lance. Lloyd found a pair of swords that crackled with electricity with every swing. Naruto smiled.

"That's the best weapon you could have here Lloyd."

Lloyd looked up at Naruto questioningly as he took a few swings to get used to the weight difference.

"Why's that?"

Naruto smirked as he answered.

"Lloyd, what happens when you get a static shock?"

Lloyd shrugged and answered as he sheathed his new swords, giving the old ones to Naruto to seal.

"You get zapped?"

Naruto nodded and continued prompting.

"Now, what happens when you get 'zapped' in water?"

Light dawned on Lloyd and he smiled widely.

"You get zapped even more!"

Naruto put a hand on Lloyd's shoulder and smiled widely.

"Exactly. The amount of damage you would normally do is almost doubled. Lloyd, every element has one or more weaknesses as well as one or more strengths against the others. Water will always beat fire, fire will always beat wind, wind will always beat lightning, lightning will always beat earth and earth will always beat water. If it helps, think of it as a circle with a star inside it."

Naruto pulled out a piece of paper with the table of elemental weaknesses and strengths on it that Yamato had given him several years ago that now had lines making a five sided star in the middle. The one Lloyd noticed most was Lightning beating water. He looked over it and nodded.

"Yeah, that makes sense…"

Raine stared at Naruto and Lloyd in disbelief. Naruto smiled at Raine knowingly.

"People like Lloyd and I learn best through 'hands on' experience. School does nothing for us and I can pretty much guarantee that we will never use majority of what's taught in school when we leave it. Both of us are warriors."

Lloyd smiled brightly and nodded in agreement. Raine felt all her hard work of trying to convince Lloyd that school was necessary go down the drain.

"Lloyd may not have a lot of book intelligence, but he has a kind far rarer than that; Emotional intelligence. We understand others perfectly and can read them like books with practice. However, now I suggest we take a look around this floor and get a grasp of this place's layout."

Everyone nodded slowly in agreement and they proceeded to check the floor out, quickly finding a strange object which Lloyd identified instantly.

"Hey, I saw one of those things in the Desian Base in the Triet Desert! I wonder what this one does?"

Lloyd walked up to it and placed his hand in the ball of light and watched the red light of the sorcerer's ring change to a cerulean blue. He pulled it back out again and pointed it at the wall and activated it, more than a little disappointed when it just dribbled water.

"Oh man, that's so weak…"

Naruto shrugged and walked towards the nearest pathway into the next chamber.

"I'm guessing whatever it's needed for isn't that strong or needs much to use it."

The others agreed with Naruto and followed him down, fighting off the occasional denizen of the seal and eventually coming to what appeared to be some sort of pathway raised less than a meter out of the water. At the end was a massive stone door that sealed off whatever was in the next room. At the other end was a large stone block. The group walked up to the door and inspected it. Naruto was quick to notice that one of the paving slabs was raised above the others, breaking the pathway's perfectly smooth consistency. Naruto looked up at Lloyd who had just thrown a pebble across the water, making it skip several times before sinking to the depths.

"Lloyd, could you try standing on that panel there please?"

Lloyd looked at Naruto and shrugged, taking three steps to step on the panel Naruto had indicated. Naruto smirked when Lloyd's foot connected with it and a click was heard as it was depressed and the door creaked and groaned as it begun to rise. Lloyd stumbled back in surprise, taking his weight off the panel and the door stopped its assent and quickly fell back to the ground with a dull thud. Naruto smirked.

"Thanks Lloyd, I just needed that confirmed. Lloyd and Kratos, can you help me push that block at the other end of the pathway to jam the door open?"

Both boys nodded and walked up with Naruto to the block. All three took a position behind the block and began to push making it slowly move forward. Naruto called a halt.

"I know Kratos knows how to do this, but Lloyd, this is a good time to practice your control over mana. Try focusing the mana of your body to your arms and legs to aid them."

Lloyd nodded and all three used mana to aid the movement of the giant stone block, making it move significantly faster. As they got closer, Naruto called out to the others.

"Can someone step on the panel again please and stay there until the block is under the door?"

They quickly heard the click and rumbling of the door opening. Naruto trusted whoever had stepped on it that they had done so with enough time so that they did not have to stop pushing the block. It turned out to be Genis who had timed it perfectly. As soon as the block was halfway under the door, Genis stepped back off it and the door fell only part way before being impeded by the block which held. Naruto gave a thumbs up.

"Good work. Let's see what's in here."

All of them followed Naruto in to see some sort of altar room that used both levels of the underground seal. Out to their left was a solid surface just below water level. Ahead of them were two statues of some woman in a flowing dress. When Naruto's eyes connected with the statue's, the voices whispering to him almost trebled in insistency, making grunt and hold his head. Raine looked at Naruto worriedly.

"Naruto, are you alright?"

Naruto shrugged it off and looked at the statue again.

"I don't know what it is, but something in here is calling to me, and it has something to do with that statue."

He pointed to the one ahead of them. The group looked at each other and nodded, readying their weapons and they walked forward towards the statue. When they reached it they saw that there was a weigh with one closed jug and an open empty one. Naruto looked at Lloyd.

"Lloyd, try the sorcerer's ring."

Lloyd nodded and used it on the empty jar and watched it fill up before the lid closed and the scales tipped, however, nothing happened. The voices calmed down considerably. Naruto looked up at the level above them.

"We should try doing it for that statue as well. That might give us access to the seal. Use the tree climbing exercise. Everyone else, I have a feeling that the floor just under the water will be raised, so stand on it."

Everyone nodded and Genis and Lloyd followed Naruto up the wall while Naruto jumped upwards, clearing the sole denizen guarding the statue with ease. When both Lloyd and Genis arrived, they saw their next problem. The weigh had two jugs, but both of them had their lids closed. They looked around before Genis groaned.

"Great, now what do we do?"

Naruto spotted what appeared to be two torches and noticed the upper level was somewhat dark. He formed three hand seals and blew a ball of fire at each torch which crackled to life and the lid of the pot opened. Lloyd smiled at Naruto.

"Wow, nice going Naruto!"

Naruto smirked as Lloyd used the sorcerer's ring on the pot, filling it and tipping the scales. As Naruto had expected, the platform beneath the others rose up to their level and the seal transport pad activated. The group stepped onto the pad three at a time and warped into the seal room. Naruto suddenly clutched his head as the whisperings became understandable.

"Whatever is calling to me is in here."

The group nodded and walked forward. However, when they reached the raised seal, the ground rumbled and mana exploded from the seal, taking on the form of some sort of giant floating seahorse with two much smaller versions as its companions. Naruto called out to the others.

"Raine! Support us! Lloyd, help Colette with the left subordinate! Kratos help Genis with the right one, I'll keep the main one busy until you can help me! Go!"

Everyone nodded at their assigned tasks and rushed off to engage. Raine began casting a spell, as did Colette and Genis. Kratos, Lloyd and Naruto charged in, weapons drawn and began to occupy the monsters from attacking the casters. Naruto summed a large amount of chakra to his new halberd, which began crackling. His target however, lost interest in him and decided to focus on Raine. I cast a short mana circle before unleashing a beam of pure water at her. Naruto disappeared and reappeared in front of her, unleashing his arc of lightning straight at the beam, watching it flash and shave it clean down the middle and connect with the guardian of the seal. Naruto smiled as its muscles convulsed violently and the beam of water, now having its driving mana destroyed, fell straight to the ground. Lloyd was having no difficulty carving up his while Kratos was not surprisingly fairing almost as well thanks to his years of expertise in battle against his. Naruto's target recovered just as Raine finished her spell.

"Field Barrier!"

The group felt Raine's mana align with their own and form a protective barrier around their skins. Colette and Genis finished their spells at the same time.

"Angel Feathers!"

"Lightning!"

Three fluro pink halos of magic were unleashed from Colette's hands and each sped off to a different target while Genis unleashed two bolts of lightning which hit the two smaller ones, for all intents and purposes frying the life out of them as they fell to the floor and exploded into a shower of water. The remaining one looked at its opponents angrily and unleashed three beams of water at each group. However, Naruto noticed its true intentions. Below their feet, mana powered water was quickly rising through the floor cracks and Naruto called out to his team mates.

"Take cover!"

Everyone realised what Naruto had meant and jumped back to see three geysers of water sprout up from the ground and the beams intersect them where they would have been, most likely blasting them off the altar into the water besides it where who knows what lived. Lloyd, Kratos and Naruto charged in and executed a triple slash to its body, severing it into three pieces which hovered in the air for a moment before it exploded into water. Naruto smiled and lowered his weapon, feeling the presence of the guardian vanish.

"Nice teamwork everyone."

Genis put away his Kendama and grubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Compared to the seal of fire, this was a breeze…"

Naruto nodded. That had been bugging him for a while now, but he pushed it to the back of his mind as the group approached the seal. The seal hissed and released, rising into the air and filling with liquid blue mana before lowering again and briefly revealing a female figure that the statues were obviously made to resemble. She quickly disappeared though and from around them echoed a voice.

"Well done, daughter of the Mana Lineage. You have done well to reach this far. Now, offer your prayers at the alter."

Colette nodded and stepped forward.

"Yes, my lord."

Colette stepped up to the top set of stairs and stood in front of the alter.

"Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurture of the earth; grant me thy strength."

Colette rose into the air and Remiel descended from the sky.

"You have done well, my daughter Colette. Few could have reached this far. We of Cruxis bless you with the power of the Angels."

Colette nodded.

"Thank you father."

"…"

The four small trails of mana spiralled down and into Colette, flashing blue before she lowered to the ground.

"The next seal lies to the east, where the spirits rest. I will see you there, Colette."

"Father, is something wrong?"

Remiel shook his head.

"It is nothing, Colette, my dear daughter. We shall meet again at the next seal."

With that, Remiel turned into a ball of golden light and flew upwards through the roof. Naruto sighed.

"I don't know what is calling me, but it's practically screaming at me now, and it's coming from the seal."

Naruto stepped up to it and looked at it.

"Alright, if you want to speak to me that desperately, then do it face to face. Show yourself."

The ball of blue mana began to expand and form a spiral which shrunk inwards until it was nothing but a ball of blue light when it flashed twice and released to reveal the female figure they had seen earlier.

"You who posses the right of the pact, I am Undine, Maiden of the Mist and one who is bound to Mithos. Who are you?"

Naruto sighed, knowing that a full former introduction was required.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto, Tokubetsu Jounin of Fuuinjutsu in Konohagure no Sato, apprentice of the Sannin, Jiraiya and member of the former and current Team Seven."

The female nodded slowly.

"I sense purity in your words."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"May I ask why you called to me so incessantly?"

The female nodded.

"I am one who is bound to Mithos, however, Mithos has voided his contract with me."

"Then you desire a new pact?"

The female nodded.

"However, I must test to see if you are worthy to wield my power. Do you accept?"

Naruto thought for a moment. "

"I need to ask the frogs from my current contract if this is ok."

Undine nodded and watched Naruto bite his thumb, forming the hand seals and placing his palm on the ground, revealing a small frog. The frog looked up at him angrily.

"Oi bonehead, what are you doing summoning me? There's still 3 days left!"

Naruto snorted.

"Look around you and see who's the bone head."

The frog looked around and saw Undine and processed this for a few seconds.

"Who the hell's that? Not bad for a humanoid."

Naruto sweat dropped but answered anyway.

"That is Undine, Maiden of the Mist and Spirit of Water. She is asking to sign a contract with me. Is that ok with your dad?"

The frog scratched its head.

"Let me ask, I don't know much about this stuff."

The frog poofed into smoke and the group waited. When Naruto felt a bugging at the back of his mind, he summoned Gamakichi again. He looked up at Naruto and nodded.

"Dad gave you something called an ultimatum, whatever that is… He said that you can try and if you lose, your contract with us is void. If you win, he'll accept it. Now I'm going home. Ja."

The frog vanished again, leaving the group to hear Naruto's decision. He nodded and the others readied their weapons but Naruto stopped them.

"A summon pact can only be made between the being of the contract and the signer. Stand back, this is my fight."

They nodded and stepped back, letting Naruto walked down the stairs.

"When you're ready, Undine."

Undine nodded and flowed off the seal towards Naruto. Naruto readied his weapon and charged in, intending to strike Undine across the chest but was blocked when her arm turned into a sword made of pure water that blocked his attack with almost no effort. Naruto jumped back and calculated his options. Undine gave him no rest and began charging a mana circle. Naruto was not surprised when it cast almost instantly.

"Water Spire."

Naruto just managed to get out of the way off the spire of water that blasted the slab of pavement beneath him to pieces. If it had connected it would have caused a lot of damage. Naruto could do nothing but avoid the attacks until he used Shushin to get on top of one of the pillars and quickly resealed his halberd and took off his jacket, resealing it in another scroll which he pocketed.

"Let's get serious."

Undine nodded slowly and Naruto disappeared in pure speed with a whistling noise, reappearing behind Undine and landing a savage kick to her lower back before disappearing and reappearing with practiced ease, dodging many of Undine's attacks and landing many of his own. While Naruto may have been fast and quite powerful, Undine had the stamina Naruto didn't, and Naruto was not going to use Kyuubi with his friends here. He couldn't reveal that just yet. When Undine stabbed Naruto though the shoulder with her water sword, Naruto jumped back and quickly healed it before forming two other Kage Bunshin.

"Lloyd, I'm going to show you the true power of our element."

The two clones began pumping their chakra into the real Naruto's hand. Undine's eyes narrowed at the sheer power that this tiny ball of energy contained. Naruto dispelled both clones and smiled.

"Fuuton Rasengan!"

Naruto charged forward with his hand extended. Undine tried to move but found herself being held down by a multitude of clones. She quickly defeated each of them, but by the time she could move, it was too late. Naruto was on top of her with the Rasengan being released. Everyone covered their eyes as a thunderous roar and blinding flash of light was emitted and when they opened their eyes again, their jaws dropped. From the point of impact to the far wall, the ground hand been ripped asunder and the far wall looked like it had been hit with a meteorite. In the centre of the crater was Undine who did not look too well. She lightly fell to the water and hovered back to the seal.

"At ease, Naruto; I find you worthy to use my power as you see fit. Now, make a vow upon which this pact will be based."

Naruto straightened, panting heavily as he spoke.

"For the sake of protecting all those who mean the world to me, I ask that you lend me your strength."

Undine nodded.

"A suitable vow. Very well, Uzumaki Naruto, my power is yours to use as you see fit."

Undine flashed twice before turning into a small ball of mana and lowering into Naruto's hand that he held out. Naruto's eyes widened as he felt the power of Undine flowing through him.

"Wow, what power…"

Naruto turned and smiled at them.

"Well, how about we get out of here?"

They nodded slowly, still very wary of the kind of power that Naruto had just displayed. Near the front door, Naruto smiled at Lloyd.

"That is the kind of power those of us who specialise in wind can command. We are few and far between, Lloyd. Don't waste that gift."

Lloyd nodded slowly as they walked out into the sunlight. Just as walked back onto solid ground, both Naruto and Colette collapsed.

"Ugh, the Fuuton Rasengan takes way too much out of me… Dammit, Colette, are you alright?"

Colette nodded slowly.

"I'm… ok…"

The part was torn between who to attend to first, but Naruto shook them off.

"I just have mana exhaustion. Check on Colette."

They nodded and checked over Colette. Rain sighed.

"If this is going to happen every time Colette releases a seal, I will have to call this condition Angel Toxicosis for now. We might as well rest up and set up for the night.

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"The geyser will provide us with warmth for the night."

Everyone nodded as Naruto helped Colette to the wall and propped both of them up against it while the others took the scrolls that Naruto gave them and set up camp.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning:**

Naruto woke bright and early to see Colette already up and staring out at the horizon in the direction of the Tower of Salvation.

"Morning Colette, how are you feeling?"

Colette smiled at Naruto as he came up next to her.

"I'm fine Naruto. How about you? You must be exhausted."

Naruto shook his head.

"Mana exhaustion of that level needs at most a night's rest to fix. I'm fine."

Slowly, the other members of the group woke up until only Kratos was left. However, he returned after several minutes with some fish that he put down on the small fire they had going. Everyone thanked him and dug in except himself and Colette. Naruto stopped halfway through his second fish and looked at Colette.

"Colette, I trust you ok? If you don't tell me when something is wrong, I'm failing my mission to protect you."

Colette nodded.

"I know Naruto, sorry for making you worry, but Kratos already brought me back something to eat before, so I'm not too hungry right now."

Kratos nodded slowly and Naruto couldn't tell if he was covering for Colette or not. Naruto shrugged and took Colette's fish. Lloyd also tried to grab it and both boys struggled with the last fish before Naruto pulled a fast one on Lloyd and used substitute to replace one of the skeletons next to him with the real fish and let go, making Lloyd smile triumphantly, obviously still not fully awake. Naruto smiled and picked up the real fish and began eating, leaving Lloyd to realise he'd been had. Lloyd glared at Naruto.

"You're evil."

Naruto shrugged and took another bite out of it.

"No kidding."

Naruto quickly finished off the last fish and they packed up camp and left the island, heading back to the wharf and on to the House of Salvation.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**House of Salvation:**

When they got there, they saw two soldiers of Palmacosta's army were checking everyone, obviously looking for someone in particular. When the group sided up to Naruto, one of the guards saw them and alerted his companion and they both approached the group.

"Are you the Chosen's group?"

Lloyd nodded.

"Yeah, that's us. Why do you want to know?"

"Governor General Dorr has recalled the army early from the training exercise. One of Palmacosta's citizens has been captured and the army is now attempting to destroy the Eastern Ranch. Governor General Dorr has requested that you continue with your Journey of Regeneration and forget about Palmacosta."

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Are you able to tell us who was captured?"

The guard nodded and looked at Naruto.

"The information has been released to the general public. It's a young female by the name of Chocolat."

Naruto sighed and straightened.

"I thought something like this was going to happen…"

Both of the soldiers turned and left, their job completed. Naruto turned to the group, his face completely calm.

"We're going back to Palmacosta, and then to the ranch."

Everyone looked shocked for a second before Raine tried to make sense of it.

"Naruto, why would we want to step right into a war zone?"

Naruto looked at Raine levelly.

"Surely you've figured out that this entire area of the continent is a farce, Raine."

Raine's brows knitted for a second before she nodded slowly.

"You're right… Things just don't add up…"

Lloyd looked between them in confusion.

"What do you mean, 'farce'? You're not making sense!"

Naruto turned to Lloyd.

"Lloyd, what did it take for the Isalea Ranch to level your village?"

Lloyd looked dumbfounded, but answered anyway.

"Us attacking a couple of their guards…"

Naruto nodded.

"Did Isalea have an army?"

Lloyd again shook his head.

"No, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with it, Lloyd."

Everyone turned to Kratos who stood in his usual arms crossed stoic pose.

"Lloyd, think for a moment. If the Desians were that quick to burn your town to the ground, even with a treaty in place, why have they not attacked a major city that could very easily pose a threat to the Desians with their extensive army?"

Lloyd thought for a second before just throwing out a random idea.

"They're scared of them?"

Naruto shook his head.

"From my brief fight with Magnius, I could tell he could wipe out the majority of the Palmacosta army by himself if he wanted to. No, they're not attacking Palmacosta because it's more useful as it is now than it is in ruins. In other words, Palmacosta has something that they don't."

Raine and Kratos nodded in agreement with Naruto's conclusion. Genis nodded as well.

"But if that was true, Dorr would know about it…"

Raine sighed and shook her head.

"Which most likely means he's a major part of this plot."

Naruto nodded and looked forward, his mind made up.

"I want to find out exactly what Dorr is doing and if necessary, stop it. Let's go."

All of them agreed and Naruto summoned a group of battle toads to use as mounts and get them back to Palmacosta as quick as possible.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**An Hour Later:**

The group got back in just under an hour, the barren scenery whizzing past. Once they got to Palmacosta, they thanked the toads and dismissed them, walking towards Dorr's office. The door was slightly ajar, so they walked in. Much to their surprise, the place was deserted. Not even Dorr's guards were there. Naruto channelled his chakra to his senses. Something was very wrong here. At the same time Naruto did, Colette's head turned to a stairwell that was always blocked by a guard. The guard was no longer their

."I hear voices coming from down there…"

Naruto nodded in agreement. He could identify one rushed and frantic voice, and another calm, steady one. Naruto smirked and walked quietly towards the stairs, before looking over his shoulder.

"I bet whatever we need to know is taking place down here. Keep quiet and we might be able to listen in."

The nodded and slowly snuck down the crudely lit stairwell, finding themselves in some sort of small prison/stockpiling room. They hid behind a stack of large crates and saw their worst suspicions. Dorr was talking with a Desian, their voices clearly audible.

"When will my wife… When will Clara return to her original form?"

The Desian held out his hand and made a beckoning motion.

"Not yet. You still haven't paid us enough Gald. You've been paying us less and less."

Dorr grunted in frustration.

"This is the best I can do! The municipal taxes, the offerings to Martel! There's no where left to squeeze money from!"

The Desian 'hmph'ed in contempt and turned around to walk out a back exit.

"Well, I guess this is enough… For today…"

Dorr sighed as he turned around and walked straight into Naruto's broad chest, making him stumble back in surprise, looking up at the blonde in fear.

"Well, that's certainly not happy to see me, is it?"

"Geez, looks like he saw a ghost…"

"That line is **so** cliché its not funny, Lloyd."

"Shut it Genis!"

Naruto turned back to Dorr and smiled knowingly.

"Well, now that the cat's out of the bag, so to speak, why don't you let us in on the full story?"

Dorr grunted and scrunched his face up and stood, fuming with anger.

"You have no idea what I'm trying to do! I'm trying to give my people the justice that I was denied!"

Lloyd growled and took a step forward.

"Don't spew that word in front of me! 'Justice'? What would you know about 'justice'?"

Naruto smirked and walked over to Dorr, glaring at him.

"So, you think it's noble to start spewing the word justice like some victim in your own play? Get over it; we all have our own problems."

Dorr growled and turned around, walking to the last cell and pulled a piece of rope.

"This is the justice that I've been denied!"

The curtain fell to the ground, revealing a… being that looked startlingly like Marbel when her exphere was removed.

"This is the monster they have created, who was once my **wife**."

The 'monster grabbed its head and shook violently, obviously in extreme pain as Colette looked anguished.

"You mustn't call her a monster! She's feeling so much pain!"

Dorr glared at them as he continued speaking.

"They planted a demon seed in my wife and have been holding me to ransom for its removal!"

Naruto turned and looked back at Dorr. He could tell Dorr was no longer able to think clearly from the slight frothing at his mouth and the crazed look in his eyes. Naruto walked up to him.

"So you want justice, huh?"

Naruto was about to give him a severe punch to the face when Dorr froze and dropped to the ground, revealing his daughter with a knife covered in his blood standing behind him, smiling. Everyone else recoiled and gasped, but Naruto smirked.

"Well, normally I'd ask how you could do that to your own father, but then again, you aren't related to him are you?"

The girl smirked and nodded.

"There was no way a fool like this that couldn't realise his own daughter had died and that there really wasn't any demon seed in his **monster** wife to be removed!"

Lloyd's hands reached for his weapons as he got into a defensive stance.

"Then who are you?"

The girl closed her eyes and her features twisted severely until there was a purple creature with spindly arms and legs, piercing yellow eyes and a pair of twisted yellow horns spiralling sideways from her head. She smiled wickedly at them, exposing a set of teeth that made the group's eyes widen.

"I am Kilia, servant to Lady Pronyma. And now that I'm done here, I will return to my master. But first, I think I will deal with you."

Naruto drew his lance while the others drew their weapons and they charged in. Kilia began charging a black mana circle before unleashing her technique before they could even reach her to stop her.

"Acid Rain!"

Black droplets began seeping through the stone roof and dropping to the ground hard and fast, forming a rain effect. The droplets began hitting the party and their clothes and weapons began hissing and steaming while their skin tingled slightly. From what it looked like, this acid rain was mainly made to destroy a person's weapons and armour, but not them. Naruto reached Kilia first and plunged his lance straight through her chest. Kilia's eyes widened in surprise before she began pulling at the lance as if it was nothing but a minor annoyance. Naruto was gob smacked that she could survive a direct stab through the heart and act as if it was only a minor annoyance. She eventually ripped the spear out and raked her claws down Naruto's chest, ripping his hardened leather armour open like it was tissue paper and raking them down his skin. Naruto howled in pain as he felt poison seep from her claws into his bloodstream. He jumped back and collapsed to one knee, trying to slow his breathing and heart rate so the poison wouldn't spread as quickly. Lloyd looked at Naruto in shock.

"Naruto!"

Naruto looked at Lloyd in horror as Kilia raced towards him, her claws ready to pierce through his chest and end his life. There was no way Naruto could warn him in time so, he charged in, using as much chakra as he could to aid his movements.

'_Make it in time…'_

Naruto got in front of Lloyd just as Kilia reached them. Lloyd spun around and tried to feebly block it and closed his eyes. He heard a horrid shredding noise and felt something warm splatter over him. He slowly opened his eyes and looked in shock to see Naruto standing in front of him, Kilia's' clawed hand penetrating right through the centre of his chest. Naruto's lance clattered to the ground as Kilia retracted her hand from Naruto. Everyone had stopped for a moment in shock of Naruto doing such a thing, exchanging his life for Lloyd's.

"NARUTO!"

Naruto looked over his shoulder, smiling weakly at them.

"Not so loud… I can still hear you…"

Kilia laughed out loud.

"My my, exchanging your life for his, how **noble** of you. Too bad for you it won't make a difference. HAHAHAHAHA!"

Lloyd suddenly scrunched up his face and yelled at Naruto.

"Why? I didn't ask for you to save me!"

Naruto smirked, lost in memory of the last time this happened.

"I don't know… My body moved on its own…"

With that, Naruto crumpled to the floor, his breaths short and laboured.

"Perhaps now I can finally rest… Hell, it might even be a blessing…"

Lloyd was by his side as was Raine while Kilia looked at them with sheer glee in her eyes.

"Don't say things like that, Naruto! Hold on…"

Raine was beginning a healing spell on Naruto, trying desperately to fight the poison and the internal bleeding.

"Awwww, how touching. Do you want me to play some sad music for you as well? How about the world's smallest violin? Not that he could appreciate it. He's going straight to hell anyway! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Kratos charged in, a look of pure hatred on his face.

"Don't you dare-"

He sliced Kilia viciously across the chest.

"-speak ill of such a fine warrior-"

He sliced her across the chest again, making her howl in agony.

"and man!"

He drew his sword back, readying himself for the final strike.

"How about I send you to hell-"

He thrust it forward with all his might, plunging it right through her stomach and severing her lower spine as it pierced her back.

"-in his place?"

Kratos withdrew his sword and Kilia dropped to the ground, looking in horror at Kratos.

"Who… are you…"

"Your executioner. Now burn in hell!"

Kilia fell to the ground and snarled, her lower body no longer responding to her commands. She looked sideways as Kratos went back to check Naruto's condition and Kilia began to feel her life fading fast. Whatever Kratos had attacked her with was not normal. Kratos could see Raine was straining under the intense concentration of both removing the poison and healing Naruto's grievous wound. Kratos bent down next to a sobbing Genis and a completely distraught Lloyd and Colette. Kratos looked at Raine.

"Raine, concentrate on removing the poison, I will try to heal him."

Raine nodded in thanks as Kratos began trying to heal Naruto's wound. Naruto convulsed and vomited up a massive amount of blood and bile, making the three younger members feel more than a little queasy. Naruto looked at Kratos, the blood almost flowing from his mouth, trying to open it and speak to Lloyd.

"Kratos…"

Raine looked at Naruto sternly.

"Naruto! Don't talk! It's just making it harder for us to heal you!"

Naruto slowly shook his head.

"Let me… speak…"

Naruto looked down at the necklace forlornly, splattered in his own blood. He wondered if this is how it had been for both Nawaki and Dan. If so, he truly felt sorry for them. The poison was quickly being removed, but even Kratos' medical Ninjutsu couldn't keep up with the blood loss and close the gaping hole in Naruto's chest. Naruto could feel the Kyuubi trying to aid the healing for the sake of his own life, but a major artery out of the heart had been severed, almost cutting off Kyuubi's healing abilities all together. Naruto looked back up at Kratos.

"The… Artery…"

Kratos looked at Naruto in confusion before he saw what he was getting at. Kratos instantly switched to healing the artery and trying to fix it back in place. He eventually got it reattached and his eyes widened in surprise as his healing mana was now suddenly being rejected by a force that was extremely powerful welling from within Naruto's body. Everyone watched in amazement as red mana instantly began sealing the wound up as well as all the minor scratches elsewhere on his body within seconds and Naruto's eyes closed, his body still. Kratos placed two fingers to his neck.

"He has a pulse and is still breathing. He's just unconscious."

The tension in the room dropped sharply, most of them sighing in relief when they heard a scratching noise behind them. They turned to see that Kilia had dragged herself along the ground to the cage that held Clara.

"If I can't take you down myself, then I'll get her to do it for me!"

Kilia fumbled with the key in the lock before she gave it a final twist and slumped to the floor. Clara walked out and picked Kilia up, strangling her to death and snapping her neck before lumbering out and towards the group. They moved out of her way and she quickly lumbered up the stairs and out the door. They heard faint screams and shouts which quickly died away. They turned to see Door labouring for breath, and Raine quickly rushed over to him and began healing him.

"Tell me… Is my daughter… Safe?"

Raine had a look of anguish on her face when Lloyd answered for her.

"She's alive…"

The look of relief on Dorr's face was clear as his breathing slowed.

"I know I have no right to request something so selfish… But please look for a way to help Clara… Back to her original form… I don't want my daughter… To be alone in the world…"

Lloyd nodded.

"I promise…"

Dorr smiled and drew in several breaths, even more laboured than the rest, putting a hand in his pocket and pulling out a card.

"Take this card... It will let you get in the back entrance... Of the Palmacosta Ranch... The code is... Two, Three, Three, Seven."

"Thank you…"

Lloyd shook his head as Raine stopped her healing as Dorr stopped breathing.

"My healing can't even save one single life?"

The best they could do for now was take Naruto's unconscious body and alert the Vice Governor General Neil as to what had happened.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** Oh wow, talk about taking my time… Oh well it was a lot longer both page wise and word wise than my usual chapters. And for those of you who are going to whine and complain that Naruto isn't allowed to be a pact maker and shake a metaphorical fist at me, then I have something to say to you:

Take your bleeding heart, high horse opinions and go somewhere else, because I don't care. If you don't like way I did it, then do it yourself the way it should be done according to you. If you're too lazy to do that, I'm too lazy to change it to the way you want it. So put up or shut up as they say.

To everyone else, hope you enjoyed it and a happy new year to all of you. May 2007 be a happy and fruitful year for you.

Specula.


	7. Palmacosta Ranch

**A/N:** Hey there people. One thing that's kind of getting tiring is that people complain about something and I say 'I explained that in the A/N of that very chapter.' And they say 'I don't read the A/N.'

**Read This:**

If I didn't need to explain stuff to people, then these A/N wouldn't exist. In other words, these A/N are for **you, the readers**. So if you're not going to read them, then don't expect me to by sympathetic or even explain it to you, because most of the time, people ask the same questions over and over again. If anything, I will be sarcastic. Then what really pissed me off even more is that people gripe about me being rude to them for no apparent reason. In other words:

**Reading the A/N is compulsory if you don't want to be treated like an idiot.**

After all, you would read the Terms of Service for games and whatnot... Right? Wait, don't answer that…

The Major questions are: Will Naruto get all the summon spirits? The simple answer is no. Naruto will only get the four main ones from Sylvarant. Which means that Naruto **will not** get Volt.

Why is Naruto so upstuck? You'll find out when Sheena joins the group and when she explains her origins to the group. Naruto will as well.

When is Sheena joining the group? The same place she does in the game. For those of you who don't know, let's just say fairly soon.

Are you abandoning this fic too? Come on people! I have a topic on the Narutofan forums for a reason! Read it!

I've received a lot of… Well, complaints that it's annoying to people who haven't played the game that they don't understand the storyline of this fic. There are two answers to this:

Sarcastic answer: Well duh. If you open up a book on nuclear physics as someone who's hated science for their entire life and read the history of the field you'd be going 'huh?' wouldn't you? So why is that any different than this? If you don't understand the storyline, buy the game or put up with it.

Non sarcastic answer: Well, I did say it before that people who hadn't played the game were pretty much going to be metaphorically 'playing' it through this fic. In other words, if it's confusing you, either play the game or just wait. The true storyline will be revealed. Patience is a virtue as they say. That or you could just wait until the Anime is released and watch that. I will not explain this again, so please stop asking or griping.

Also, thank you to the people who pointed out that I messed up several important factors. Those have been fixed.

I think it's finally dawned on me why people who haven't played the game are going 'huh? I don't get it…' Everyone who doesn't, please go back and read the first paragraph of the first chapter. That should explain a lot.

Rob15 has also requested to take up the Bijuu series. People who want to see it continued, just head over to his profile. I don't think he's started uploading yet, but hopefully, he will soon.

Finally, someone has requested to take on and continue Rubies and Sapphires. His pen name is Lord Purity. He's already uploaded and reedited both books. However, from the reviews he's gotten of book two, a number of people don't like his writing style. Personally, I've seen Kurenai go waaaay out of character in several paragraphs. So as a treat to the fans, I will finish off the last of that chapter and depending on the response, may possibly continue it. However the continuation is to say the least, unlikely so don't hold your breath.

Now, on with the fic.

Thanks to Kyuubi no Yoko 9 for beta-ing.

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU/SPELL..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Two Worlds, Two Ninja:

Chapter Six:

Palmacosta Ranch:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**The Day After Dorr's Death:**

It had taken Naruto just over 24 hours to recover from his previously fatal injuries. As soon as he woke up, Naruto requested some time to himself to think and left the group to find a small secluded area in a Palmacosta back alley where he summoned Gamakichi.

"You're the first one to summon me so hurry up; this sea side air is giving me warts."

Naruto sighed and leant back against the wall as he looked over the sea. Now that he was here, he didn't know what to say.

"Well, start with I'm alright…"

Gamakichi scoffed.

"You got stabbed through the chest, how is that being alright?"

Naruto groaned. He had no idea how Gamakichi found that out, but it wasn't good news.

"If you tell them that, I will strangle you to death."

Gamakichi gulped and nodded.

"Alright…. So you're fine… What else?"

"It's still under control. It tried to resurface during the full moon but I suppressed it before I gave in."

Gamakichi nodded again. Naruto looked up at the sky, or more specifically the Tower of Salvation.

"And tell them there's a damn tower reaching from the ground out into space and I need my eyes checked… That and this world and the people here are totally messed up."

Gamakichi snorted and scratched his rear end.

"No kidding… Like that crazy woman who tried to dissect me…"

Naruto had to laugh at that, making Gamakichi stare at him.

"It's true! She's insane!"

Naruto nodded and smiled, looking out to sea again.

"And that's why it's funny."

Gamakichi looked around.

"Still, some parts of this place are nice…"

Naruto nodded in agreement. Finally, he remembered something else.

"I'm running desperately low on Ninja tools and Ramen."

Gamakichi sighed and scratched his back, remembering what Naruto suffering Ramen withdraw was like and shuddered.

"Fine, I'll get that pervert to seal some more for you. Anything else?"

"Tell them that this world is so messed up it's not funny… It's almost too… Story like…"

Gamakichi looked at Naruto questioningly.

"Story like?"

Naruto nodded.

"I'm almost expecting someone to pull down a fake wall and say 'and that's a wrap.' It may be because of how people seem to be able to defy the laws of physics here… That and Angels actually do seem to exist…"

Gamakichi nodded slowly.

"Alright, I'll tell them. Anything else?"

Naruto thought about mentioning Magnius when another thing popped into his mind.

"Tell them to keep Akatsuki from this world at all costs. Shichibi no Suzaku is here."

Gamakichi stared in disbelief at Naruto.

"What did you say?"

Naruto sighed.

"The seven tailed phoenix is here."

Gamakichi nodded slowly.

"Alright, I'll pass that on… Nothing else?"

Naruto shook his head.

"That's all."

"Alright, take care of yourself Naruto. That old hag would have a fit if I told her about the hole through the chest… She'd probably kill me as well…"

Naruto smirked and nodded slowly.

"Thanks Gamakichi."

The frog nodded and waved.

"Sure, no problem. Ja."

Gamakichi puffed into smoke and disappeared, leaving Naruto to stare out to the horizon for a few minutes before standing and walking back to the group.

"Alright, it's time to pay our friend Magnius a visit. Before we do though, there's something bothering me. Lloyd, you told me that you took care of all the guards that saw your face at the Iselia Ranch but they still knew it was you, right?"

Lloyd nodded.

"Yeah. Why?"

Naruto looked at the card in Lloyd's hand.

"That card may very well be useless if my suspicions are correct."

Everyone else tried to understand what Naruto had meant when he shook his head.

"My suspicions are almost a given, but I want to make sure."

They nodded and set out, using Naruto's frogs as mounts. After half a day's travel, they reached the House of Salvation. Naruto dismounted and gave the frog an appreciative pat.

"Thanks for that."

The frog nodded and poofed out off existence as did the others when their riders had dismounted. Naruto looked at them.

"Going into battle now would do nothing but get us killed. We need to at least eat a decent lunch and preferably have a short sleep."

Raine nodded in agreement.

"That would be wise. We need to have as much energy as we can before we assault the ranch."

Naruto walked forward and pushed open the doors and nearly chocked on the small piece of food he had in his mouth when he saw who was there.

"Sheena!"

Sheena stiffened and turned around. The only thing stopping Naruto from engaging was that this was a place of peace and rest, no battles were allowed on this ground. Sheena seemed to follow that as well.

"N… Naruto! What are you doing here?"

Naruto sighed and finished off his small dumpling before slowly walking up beside Sheena, making her extremely wary.

"I could ask you that as well. If you must know, we're about to take care of one of our big, bad Desian friends and rescue a hostage he has. What about you?"

Sheena sighed and turned back to the fake statue of Martel.

"I'm praying for my people's safety…"

Naruto smiled slightly.

"I see… Sheena, I won't ask you what village you come from, but would I be correct in guessing that like me, you're not from this world?"

Sheena's eyes widened considerably. Naruto smirked and shook his head.

"Don't worry, I'm not about to go blabbing that to the others, especially Kratos… I don't know what he is, but he's not entirely human…"

Sheena nodded slowly, taking this in as well as acknowledging that Naruto was indeed correct. Just then, the door opened and Lloyd as well as Colette walked in.

"Naruto, what's taking so l-"

At the sight of Naruto and Sheena side by side and showing little, if any hostility towards each other gave him ideas.

"Naruto? You're working with Sheena?"

Naruto slapped his forehead.

"For the love of god, Lloyd, this place strictly prohibits violence. Even the most bitter of enemies are forbidden to fight here. No, I'm not sided with Sheena. I was simply talking to her. Now, if you want to reserve the upstairs room so badly, why don't you go do it yourself?"

Lloyd grumbled and trudged up the small stairwell to talk to the person in charge of the sleeping quarters. Naruto turned back to the statue and sighed. He didn't know what it was, but for the first time in his life, he was getting an urge to pray. And it wasn't exactly the smallest urge he had ever had either. Naruto bowed his head, hoping for the safety of his friends and loved ones back home. Sheena smirked slightly at Naruto.

"You never struck me as the type to pray."

Naruto looked up, his prayer finished and smiled at Sheena.

"There's always a first for everything…"

Sheena chuckled softly.

"Yeah, you're not wrong there..."

Behind them they heard Colette take a step forward.

"You two look so good together… Almost like a couple…"

Sheena face faulted while Naruto just put his head in his hands before turning around to look at Colette.

"Colette, saying that to two people who would normally slit each other's throats at the word 'go' look like a couple isn't exactly comfortable for them…"

Sheena slowly recovered and shook her head.

"Well, I don't know about going to the extremity of throat slitting, but Naruto's got a point…"

Colette smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry… Um, Sheena-"

Naruto shook his head.

"Colette, drop it… While we're here, all missions, all burdens and all feuds should be dropped."

Colette nodded slowly and smiled again.

"Ok then… Well Sheena, praying helps one's heart grow. It's nice to see people praying."

Naruto thought up of several rather sarcastic comments he could use but much to his surprise, Sheena used one of them for him.

"Well, my heart doesn't feel any bigger…"

Naruto laughed and smiled warmly at Sheena.

"I was just thinking that…"

Sheena smirked and looked back at Colette who seemed ready to start trying to prove them wrong when Naruto sighed.

"Colette, we were poking fun at you. There's no need to justify your beliefs to us, or any others for that matter…"

Sheena nodded.

"You're beliefs are yours. Ours are ours. You can't compare them."

Naruto smirked at hearing a very familiar proverb to one back home.

"Very true."

Colette smiled.

"Oh. Ok then."

Just then, Raine, Kratos and Genis came in through the doors and spotted Sheena. Genis was about to do exactly what Lloyd did when Kratos called to him from behind.

"Genis."

Genis turned around and looked at Kratos.

"What?"

"Houses of Salvation are holy places. Not even the bitterest of enemies may fight on the immediate land they occupy."

Raine nodded.

"Correct. I do believe we covered that in class…"

At that point, Lloyd came down the stairs.

"Well, I booked all the beds, which gives us enough for our group, but if Sheena wanted to sleep here-"

"I'll sleep outside."

Everyone looked at Naruto for an explanation. Raine tried to make Naruto reconsider.

"Naruto, we need as much rest as we can get…"

Naruto shook his head.

"A shaded patch of grass is a much better bed than what I've had to sleep on before. That and I like sleeping out in the open."

Raine sighed.

"Fine, suit yourself."

Naruto pulled out a scroll and pulled out a small basket of food that Chocolat's mother had given them as a thank you gift for saving her. Naruto set it down on the single dining table inside and looked at Sheena.

"Don't just stand there. If you want something to eat, then eat it."

Raine sighed and looked at Naruto.

"One minute you're all business and the next you're sharing food with enemies… I don't think we'll ever figure you out, Naruto…"

Sheena sat beside Naruto and bowed her head in thanks while he looked at Raine and smirked.

"Even the best phycologists have never figured me out Raine. Not even my friends whom I grew up with have yet. Give it another decade and you should get to the level my friends are at now."

Raine sighed and took a sandwich when Naruto and Sheena placed their hands together and said the same word in unison.

"Itadakimasu."

Both of them smirked and took something off the table and began eating. After half an hour, all of them had eaten what they needed and the basket was now empty. Naruto looked over the group.

"I suggest getting about 8 hours sleep now. After six hours, it should be several hours after nightfall which will give us the cover of darkness. It will take us approximately 3 or so hours to travel there with toads. The best time to attack a base is just before the first rays of dawn. That is when their defence will be weakest."

Kratos nodded in agreement, so everyone else did so as well. Naruto got up and looked around.

"Guys, tomorrow is a big day. Try to forget about it until we wake up. Sleep well everyone."

With that, Naruto turned around and walked out the front door and looked around before jumping up into a tree and perching himself on a branch, closing his eyes and slowly dropping off to sleep.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**An Hour Before They Set Off:**

Naruto was aware of someone approaching him and relaxed when he felt Sheena's mana signature.

"Couldn't sleep Sheena?"

Sheena sighed and jumped up next to Naruto, taking a seat next to him on the branch.

"Pretty much… Naruto, could I ask you a question?"

Naruto nodded slowly, keeping his eyes shut.

"You're not exactly fully human, are you?"

Naruto sighed deeply. There was no point in hiding it any longer.

"What gave it away?"

Sheena looked up at the stars.

"That time in Palmacosta, you're eye changed to red… I could tell you were using a Genjutsu over it, but the red colour wasn't part of that… I could sense some sort of other very evil mana signature coming from your eye… That and your whisker birthmarks are far too perfectly shaped to be natural…"

Naruto smirked and looked at Sheena.

"Sheena, if I tell you this, you have to swear never to tell anyone… Especially not my companions… I haven't even told my friends back home on my world…"

Sheena sighed and looked up at the moon.

"I didn't know there were other Ninja outside of Mizuho on Tethe'alla…"

Naruto chuckled.

"There probably isn't. I come from another one."

Sheena's eyes bulged as she looked at Naruto, he looked at her smiling.

"My world is called Gaia, if it's referred to as any name at all. It's a world of ninja, wars and demons. In some ways, our technology is similar to that of Sylvarant, in others, it surpasses it so much it's not funny…"

Sheena nodded when Naruto sighed.

"But I digress. I'm one of nine people who are known as a Jinchuriki, but I hate that word. If anything, I prefer Demon Container. That red chakra and my whisker marks come from a demon sealed inside my stomach."

Sheena seemed genuinely interested.

"A demon sealed inside your stomach? How big is it?"

Naruto looked at Sheena seriously.

"Big enough and powerful enough to smash a mountain to pieces with a flick of one of its nine tails."

Sheena whistled appreciatively.

"Wow… Sealing living beings inside others has been theorised, but I didn't think it could actually be done…"

Naruto smirked and looked up at the moon.

"Well, the fourth leader of our village, Yondaime Hokage asked a favour from the death god, Shinigami. In exchange for his soul, Shinigami drained the soul of the Kyuubi and sealed inside me 30 seconds after I was born."

Sheena suddenly looked downcast.

"Oh… I'm sorry…"

Naruto shook his head.

"I don't think I'll ever understand why people say sorry for something they have nothing to do with…"

Sheena laughed at Naruto's rather unique view of things. Both of them were silent for a minute.

"So this world of yours, Tethe'alla… What's it like?"

Sheena shrugged.

"Remember, same rule goes for you as well."

Naruto nodded.

"Of course."

"Very different from Sylvarant, that's for sure… It's much more advanced, technologically, socially and economically… Naruto, have you hear of the word Renaissance?"

He shook his head.

"No, I haven't."

Sheena smiled and looked up at the moon.

"Well, it's what we're deeming our era. Much of it is art, religion, philosophy and science."

Naruto nodded and couldn't refrain from stopping himself yawning. Sheena smirked.

"Yeah, I'm starting to feel like that as well…"

Both of them sat there and shared a comfortable silence for the rest of the hour before the others slowly got up.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Earlier That Day, In Konoha:**

Naruto's team, teachers and friends gathered in the Hokage's office for the long awaited news update. Jiraiya felt the tugging at the back of his mind and summoned Gamakichi who raised an arm in greeting.

"Yo! In case you want to know, Naruto's alive."

The tension in the room dropped considerably as Gamakichi began his recount.

"The world Naruto's on, Sylvarant has to be the most messed up place I've ever seen. Two moons, angels, a tower reaching into space, people defying the laws of physics and batty people that want to dissect me and study me."

For those who had not heard it first hand from Gamakichi the first time had instantly scoffed when Sakura or Kakashi had told them. Now, they weren't so sure. Jiraiya looked at Gamakichi seriously.

"Can you give us as much info as you can on this world?"

Gamakichi nodded.

"There are summon contracts over there as well, but not with animals. They have what they call summon spirits, the masters of their elements. Naruto has already signed a contract with some chick called Undine, the maiden of the mist and master of the water element. Not only that, the entire population worships a goddess called… Mar…. Martel? Naruto has offered protection to a girl named Colette while she goes on a Journey called the Journey of World Regeneration in exchange for looking for a way back home. Apparently, it needs to be done every now and again to stop the world from dying."

Everyone took this in slowly until Tsunade asked a question.

"This Journey of World Regeneration… What does it involve?"

Gamakichi scratched his head.

"Apparently, the girl Colette is some sort of Chosen One who has to place her hand on some sort of altar and go into these temples and release 4 seals… They've done two already. I'm not sure of the rest, not even the others seem to know according to Naruto… At every seal they've released, an angel called Remiel comes down and imbues Colette with more Angelic powers or something… Apparently she gets really sick after each one…"

Tsunade nodded slowly.

"Did he say anything else?"

Gamakichi nodded.

"Yeah. He said keep Akatsuki away from this planet at all costs, because Shichibi no Suzaku was there, and wasn't sealed and he couldn't fight them off by himself."

Jiraiya and Tsunade took this news gravely. Kiba looked at Gamakichi, speaking to him as well as the rest of the group.

"Akatsuki are those nine guys in black cloaks, right? Why do they want Shichibi no Suzaku?"

Tsunade sighed.

"We'll explain later Kiba, but their goals are to collect all nine demon lords. For what, we don't know, but whatever it is, it's not to do the world a service… Did Naruto say anything else?"

Gamakichi nodded.

"Yeah… The world itself, not just the people seem just… Wrong…"

"Wrong?"

"Yeah… You can see from one side of a continent to the other from a low vantage point, you can walk from one end of a continent to the other in the amount if time it takes to walk from one side of the Fire Country to the other. People seem completely ignorant of history. Naruto is expecting someone to pull down a fake wall and say 'that's a wrap' or something… And then there's the Desians…"

People listened in disbelief to Gamakichi's tale of this strange world Naruto had found. Tsunade's eyes narrowed.

"Desians?"

Gamakichi nodded.

"Yeah. From what Naruto's been able to work out, they're led by five people called Grand Cardinals, each in command of their own army. These Desians aren't just cruel. That doesn't go far enough… Public hangings, breaking people's necks for getting in their way… It's insane… Naruto's met two so far, a guy named Forcystus and another guy called Magnius. Both of them have something called a human ranch as their own base… And compared to the… Technologically destitute, I think Naruto called it, world of Sylvarant, these human ranches seem way too high tech to have been built by the people of Sylvarant… I don't have much information on them, but Naruto said he had to invade the Palmacosta Ranch to save someone Magnius took hostage and he'd report back with what he found next time."

By now, they were wondering exactly what Naruto was getting himself into.

"How horrible…"

"That sounds like something Naruto would do…"

Jiraiya sighed.

"Did Naruto say anything else?"

Gamakichi nodded.

"The only other thing he said was he was running dangerously low on ninja tools and ramen."

Everyone shared a light smirk at the humour. Sakura smiled.

"Trust Naruto to think of asking for something like that…"

Tsunade's smile slowly faded and she looked down at Gamakichi.

"Gamakichi, I want a report on Naruto's condition as soon as he gets out of the ranch. I will not take no for an answer."

Gamakichi grumbled and scratched his head.

"Alright, alright fine… But only after he does whatever it is he does in those ranches, otherwise, it's still once a month…"

Tsunade nodded.

"Thank you. Now, one final thing… This Journey of Regeneration… What is it for?"

Gamakichi 'hmmmm'ed in deep thought.

"From what I've been told, every now and again in this world, someone called the chosen one has to do this journey… Apparently, their world dies if it isn't done…"

Most people in the room stared gob smacked. Shino pushed his goggles up a bit.

"This is a great deal of information to ingest at one point in time…"

If it had Shino gob smacked enough to say 'too much new information', the others were lost long ago. Tsunade sighed.

"Alright, thank you, Gamakichi. Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya looked up at his former team mate.

"What is it Tsunade?"

"Give Gamakichi a snack or something… I need a bottle of Sake to take with this…"

For once, no one wanted to stop her. The vast majority of them would have too if they were of the legal age to drink. Jiraiya reached into his jacket and pulled out a packet of chips which he gave to Gamakichi who took them and nodded in thanks.

"Trust me, most of this stuff and more you won't believe unless you go there… Alright, I'm going home. Ja."

With that, Gamakichi took his chips and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving the others to deal with this virtual stockpile of information on their friend and the world he was trapped on in their own ways.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Back on Sylvarant:**

Kratos had been the first one up, five minutes before he had to. Both Naruto and Sheena were on the edges of sleep, using each other as head rests when Kratos came up to their tree and smirked.

"For two supposed enemies, you two seem very close."

Naruto and Sheena woke back up and started when the realised what position they had fallen asleep in, trying to get away from each other, only succeeding in both of them falling off their branch and landing with a dull thuds in the dirt. Sheena was the first up.

"What do you think you were doing? A conversation is one thing, but that?"

Naruto slowly got up and stared at Sheena.

"And what were you doing with your hand on my chest? You're not exactly completely innocent here!"

Both of them continued arguing until the others came out, very angry at being deprived of five minutes of sleep.

"What's with you two? Come on, let us sleep for five more minutes…"

Kratos smirked.

"They're acting more and more like a married couple every day."

Both Naruto and Sheena instantly stopped their arguing and turned on Kratos.

"What did you say?"

Kratos smirked widened.

"I rest my case."

Naruto and Sheena got an evil glint in their eye.

"Married couple? We sound like two old farts…"

"No kidding… Well, should we show him what these two old farts can do?"

Naruto nodded and both of them charged Kratos and all three began a mock wrestling match, all three enjoying it thoroughly, even Kratos. At the end off their little tussle, all three of them needed to go inside and bathe from the dirt streaks through their clothes and on their skin. After washing up, all three came back outside. By now, Naruto's group was ready. As they walked up the stairs, Sheena called out to Naruto.

"Naruto?"

Naruto turned around.

"Yes Sheena?"

Sheena smirked.

"Go and kick Magnius' ass for me. I've got a bone to pick with him but I have other things to do right now."

Naruto nodded.

"Sure thing. Take care."

"You too."

Naruto summoned battle toads and the group mounted and bounded off towards the Ranch. In the back of his mind, Naruto felt the past half a day fade and his mission mindset setting back in, now identifying Sheena as an enemy. With his mind focused, the group continued into the start of the valley that led to the Palmacosta Ranch.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Near Dawn at the Palmacosta Ranch:**

Naruto had dismissed the toads before they rounded the final corner and came into view of the ranch. It was situated over a mountain range from the Thoda Island Tourism Centre in a natural alcove that provided it with very good protection. As they entered the woods that surrounded it, they found that there were two paths leading to the ranch, one much narrower than the other. However, directly ahead of them was a small clearing which Neil was sitting in. Neil looked up fearfully when he head them approach but calmed down quickly.

"Thank Martel you're here… The army is several days away."

Naruto sighed and sat down in the well hidden clearing.

"Neil, a lot has happened since we last met."

Naruto proceeded to give Neil a brief run down on what had happened, which he took gravely but nodded at the end.

"I had my suspicions something like that was happening… The people of Palmacosta will take this very sorely… Right now though, we are in your debt. What can we do in repayment?"

Naruto looked through the dense trees to the solid metal gates.

"Neil, I want you to come with us. All of us will have our hands full taking care of Magnius and his subordinates, and someone will need to lead the prisoner's to safety. However, before we do that, there is something I have to check. Wait here."

Everyone nodded as Naruto formed a ram seal and disappeared. Naruto slowly walked out of the alcove and down the smaller path to the back door. He looked carefully over the door and surrounding wall, finding exactly what he had suspected. He made his way back and uncloaked.

"Getting in undetected will be impossible…"

Genis looked at Naruto in confusion.

"But Dorr said the card would let us get in without being detected!"

Naruto shook his head.

"When I said I had a suspicion as to how they knew it was Lloyd, I believed it was the building's security cameras. Now after seeing this one, I've confirmed it."

Lloyd scratched his head.

"What's a security camera?"

Naruto looked at Lloyd gravely.

"It's like an electronic eye. As soon as we step into sight of the gates or door, Magnius will know we're here. That card is practically useless-"

Naruto suddenly smiled widely.

"That is, unless people's attention is drawn away from the areas we go through…"

Kratos looked at Naruto.

"Have you thought of a plan, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. However, we need to pull it off perfectly in order to do it. This is what I've got."

Naruto explained the plan in great detail, and all of them agreed it was the best way.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Several Minutes Later:**

With everyone in their assigned places, Naruto's clones waited for the regular hourly patrol to arrive and jumped them in full view of the gates. However, these clones were under a henge. The guards of the gate looked at their companions being mauled by these foxes. One opened his comm. Channel.

"Shit! Get a squad out here now! The patrol's being attacked by wild animals!"

Both of the guards tried to engage them and keep them off the already half dead Desian patrol when the gates opened. However, they didn't open in the way gates normally would. These ones were blown off their hinges by two explosions. Alarms all over the complex began going off. It was then that five more separate explosions around the complex walls went off, throwing the Desians into complete disarray. Naruto quickly destroyed the two door security cameras with a shuriken each and then broke open a panel on the door.

"Raine!"

Raine nodded and came forward, quickly changing some wires before giving Lloyd a nod. The rest of the group ran forward as Lloyd put the card into the machine. Naruto motioned everyone to take cover as Lloyd keyed in the code and the door opened and a guard came running out. Naruto jumped down and landed on his shoulders, twisting him around and throwing him head first into the wall. The guard slumped to the ground unconscious. Naruto gave them the signal and they went inside, Naruto taking out two more security cameras before they made it into some sort of antechamber. Naruto quickly looked around and nodded.

"Ok, this should be a good place to discuss the next part. First of all Neil, we're going to take you to the prison block and open the cells. I want you to take them as fast as they can go straight back out the way we came in, ok?"

Neil nodded.

"Certainly."

Naruto looked around.

"Splitting up in here would be a bad idea. I'm the only one with the aim and reflexes as well as the tools needed to take out the security cameras before we're spotted, so we need to get the prisoners out first."

They nodded and Naruto looked at the five doors on two levels in this large room. He decided to take the left staircase.

"Let's try this way first."

They nodded and waited for the door to open. Naruto quickly used his Genjutsu to get inside and take out the two guards and four cameras. At this rate, he would quickly run out of tools before the job was done. However, he'd hit the jackpot and found the prisoner's detention block. He uncloaked and motioned the others in. Naruto quickly went around and began opening the cells. The prisoners looked at them. One particularly weak looking man in the front spoke for the prisoners.

"Who are you people? I recognise Vice Governor General Neil, but not you lot."

Naruto smiled softly.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. This is Kratos, Raine, Genis, Lloyd and Colette. Colette is the Chosen and we need to get rid of Magnius for the world regeneration. I want all of you to follow Neil back outside and wait for the Palmacosta army to lend you aid. Neils will show you the way."

The man nodded.

"You have our thanks young man. Take care, Magnius is ruthless…"

Naruto nodded.

"I will. You worry about yourself."

The man nodded.

"I will."

Neils quickly led the group of prisoner's out with one of Naruto's clones should they run into any trouble. Just before they left, one of the younger boys came up to Naruto.

"You have to hurry."

The boy nodded.

"I will, but the guard over there dropped this on the ground when you got him. He was treating it like it was really important."

Naruto took the small blue card and nodded.

"Thanks for that."

The boy nodded and smiled.

"No problem mister."

The boy ran out and quickly caught up with the other prisoners. Naruto checked his inventory and grunted in frustration.

"We might not get another break for a while and I'm desperately low on my Ninja Tools…"

Just then Naruto felt a tugging at the back of his mind and quickly summoned Gamakichi. The frog smiled.

"Yo! Seems you've already gotten inside so I'll be quick. Here's your crack food and bullets."

Naruto looked at Gamakichi strangely.

"Crack food and bullets? I thought I asked for Ramen and ninja tools…"

Gamakichi nodded.

"Yup and I got three months worth of them, take it or leave it."

Everyone sweat dropped as Naruto took the scrolls. Gamakichi waved lazily.

"Ja."

Gamakichi poofed back to his dimension. Naruto quickly checked the scroll labelled 'tools' and opened it to reveal that it had just about everything he could need for three months. He smirked and pulled out a refill of kunai and shuriken which he put into his pouch and quickly rolled the scroll up, putting it away. He looked up at the group.

"Somehow, I don't think this card will get us where we need to go by itself. There's no way such a low ranking member of the Desians would hold something that valuable."

Kratos nodded.

"From what I have heard of the Desian security systems in taverns, there is more than one key to opening the command centre."

Naruto shrugged and nodded towards the door, pulling out a fresh supply of ninja tools from his refilled pouch.

"Let's go straight across the hallway."

They nodded and followed Naruto out, dispatching a patrol with ease and disabling their communications devices. In the next room, they took care of the guards and cameras and found another one of the group of floating rings. Naruto nodded to Lloyd who went up and put his hand in the ball of light. Lloyd pulled it back out to see it glowing green. Shrugging he activated it, tinting the room with a green hue. Naruto whistled.

"Wow… A mana based radar…"

Lloyd looked at Naruto blankly.

"Ra… Dar?"

Naruto nodded as the green hue left the room. Naruto smirked.

"Lloyd, look about 5 feet behind you."

Lloyd shrugged and turned around seeing nothing but the corner of the room.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?"

"Use the Sorcerer's Ring."

Lloyd shrugged and used it, starting when a small ball of light appeared in front of him.

"Woah! Where did that come from?"

Naruto chuckled and put a hand on Lloyd's shoulder.

"It was there the whole time Lloyd. Radar let's people see things they couldn't before."

Lloyd smiled widely.

"Wow awesome!"

Naruto nodded and turned to see some sort of low doughnut shaped piece of metal protruding from the ground. He walked up to it and put a hand on it, slightly surprised when it talked to him telepathically.

"_GREETINGS. I AM A REFRESHER. WHAT ACTION DO YOU WISH ME TO PERFORM?"_

Naruto thought about it. He shrugged and thought about what to do.

'_Refresher… Refresh?'_

Naruto felt his exhaustion melt away and his energy levels return to normal in a split second. Still thoroughly shocked at this, Naruto barely heard the Refresher's response.

"_REFRESH COMPLETE. WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO PERFORM ANOTHER ACTION?"_

Naruto shook his head in a daze, trying to figure this out.

'_No.'_

"_I AWAIT YOUR NEXT VISIT."_

Naruto stumbled back, catching the attention of the others.

"Naruto, are you alright?"

Naruto shook his head.

"What the hell is that… Thing? It's mechanical, but it feels alive… Not only that, its semi sentient…"

Raine looked at the thing in question and her eyes widened.

"A refresher! I thought the last of these had been destroyed centuries ago!"

Raine went up and began studying it, fully engrossed in it while Naruto recovered with the help of Genis and Lloyd. After a short while, Naruto began to shiver.

"Am I the only one who's suddenly starting to feel irrational fear and depression?"

The others looked at Naruto strangely, but Kratos nodded.

"Some people are more receptive than others. It seems that Ranches the world over exude this aura of pity."

Naruto looked at Kratos questioningly.

"The world over? How many have you been in?"

Kratos looked directly at Naruto.

"This is my second. The first was to save someone close to me. Unfortunately, she died before I could reach her. That was when I got my Exsphere."

Naruto nodded. It was a reasonable enough answer and so he dropped it. Naruto looked to the other side of the room and narrowed his eyes, channelling chakra to them.

"Lloyd, can you activate the radar again please?"

Lloyd nodded and activated it, and Naruto saw what he had suspected. There was a card laying on top of a small table on the other side of the room. The only problem was there was a massive hole in the floor. Naruto shrugged and vanished, quickly taking out the cameras and guards there before picking up the card and running back along the wall to the group. Naruto looked at his watch and exhaled deeply.

"We don't have much time before they'll figure out the explosions were a decoy. We need to hurry."

All of them nodded and followed Naruto back into the hallway and taking a right, going deeper into the ranch. Naruto quickly took care of the cameras while the rest took care of the guards. They had three directions they could travel in. Not wanting to split up or waste time, Naruto formed two clones and they split off. One came back almost immediately with some Gald a collection of gels and a long sword which Kratos took. The other poofed out of existence, saying showing Naruto that it led to the top part of the room he had gotten the last key from. Indicating they move straight ahead, they charged in, taking care of the cameras and guards. Finally, one guard who was dressed in very different gear charged out of his room after hearing the scuffle and straight into Naruto's lance. The Desian died on the spot. Naruto looked down at him in disbelief.

"How the hell did he get to that rank when he's that stupid?"

They quickly searched the body and found nothing. Naruto ran into the office and destroyed the camera. He looked around, trying to remember as much of the officer's paperwork as possible. He quickly found the key in his top draw and walked back out. The group looked at him and smiled as he held up the third card. They ran through the door ahead, taking out the two cameras and seeing nothing but the walls, an inactive pad and a console. Naruto took the cards and walked up to it, pressing the power button, watching the system checks scroll past before coming up with a menu. Naruto looked at the options and chose the second last 'activate the pad' A slot opened up and the screen said 'please insert Blue Card.' Naruto inserted it, before being prompted again. 'Please insert Red Card.' Naruto did so and when the final prompt came up he did as it said 'Please insert Purple Card.' The pad semi activated and the screen displayed a thank you message before displaying a completely blue screen with a skull and crossbones on it. Lloyd looked at it dubiously.

"What's with the blue screen? Those skull and crossbones look evil…"

Naruto shrugged.

"Blue screen of death?"

They ignored it and Naruto turned to Lloyd.

"Lloyd, try the ring again."

Lloyd did so and jumped back as the pad fully activated, glowing a turquoise blue. Naruto smiled.

"Shall we?"

They nodded and stepped onto it. When the transfer was complete, they looked at the small room they were in. It contained two Desians with their backs to them and more pads like the one they had just used. Naruto quickly took out the only camera in the room as the two guards. He rubbed his head in frustration.

"Why do I get the feeling this is some sort of maze?"

Kratos echoed Naruto's thoughts.

"It would seem to be the case… The last ranch I was in, the keys opened the door or pad directly to the Cardinal's Command room…"

Naruto smiled and formed the Kage Bunshin seal.

"Thank god for Kage Bunshin."

Naruto formed a mass of clones who all knew their mission as they split off. Luckily, these pads seemed to be permanently active as the clones rushed every way they could. The clones were dispelled one by one, some even making it back to the room the group waited in. Finally, a group of clones managed to find the room where Chocolat was being held. One clone dispelled itself, giving Naruto their location. Naruto smiled.

"Found her. Let's move."

The group nodded and charged forward, following Naruto through the many rooms before they got to Chocolat. After some quick catch up, Naruto asked Chocolat the question they all wanted to know.

"Chocolat, do you know where Magnius' control room is?"

Chocolat nodded.

"Just up ahead, there's a room with lots of flashing lights. Magnius spends most of his time in there."

Naruto nodded and the group got up one of his clones chucking him a piece of retangular cardboard. Naruto smiled as he saw it was a mountain pass that would let him get past the old gezer without having to pay that abhorrent road toll. The group readied their weapons as they took the pad into the command centre. When they saw no one, Naruto smirked.

"Hey there Magnius. We were passing by and saw your lights on, so we thought we'd come and pay you a visit and have a chat."

The centre of the room hissed and a large circular piece of metal detached from it. As it swivelled around, they came face to face with Magnius. Magnius smirked at them.

"When I heard we were under attack, I thought the vermin of the Palmacosta Army had gotten here early. I'll admit for vermin you're pretty good to be able to escape my detection for so long. Not only taking out the guards, but the security cameras as well. Thankfully, that console you activated crashed. If it hadn't, I would never have found out."

Naruto sighed.

"Do you know what the word human is Magnius? Or were you taught the word Vermin instead?"

Magnius laughed and stared at Naruto.

"**Humans** are nothing but vile vermin, as so I use that name."

Naruto shrugged and sighed.

"I wondered how you managed to recover from the severe burns I gave you so quickly. You had a refresher."

Magnius smirked.

"Indeed I did. Now, I believe it's time to begin my next part of the plan. First though, I wonder how old granny Marbel is going?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"What does Marbel have to do with this?"

Magnius laughed before looking directly at Chocolat.

"Everything. What really surprises me is that Marbel's grand daughter willingly sides with her murderers."

Chocolat looked gob smacked for a moment. Naruto tried to think this through when it hit him.

"Marbel? You mean the one that Lloyd and Genis saved and the Desians-"

Chocolat covered her ears.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!"

Lloyd and Genis tried to stop her as she walked back into the hands of the waiting Desian soldiers. Naruto continued looking at Magnius as he spoke to them.

"Forget her. She's mentally unstable right now. Anyway, we have far larger fish to fry."

Colette, Genis and Lloyd tried to argue when Kratos stepped in.

"If we chase Chocolat now, we will never get another chance at Magnius."

Raine nodded in agreement. Colette, Genis and Lloyd slowly backed down and drew their weapons. Chocolat was taken to a pad and teleported out of the room. Magnius pointed at them.

"Kill them."

The group of soldiers charged forward and Naruto smirked, pulling out a wire of kunai and making them float, before sending each of them at a Desian soldier, cutting through their helmets and planting themselves in their target's brains. Naruto sighed.

"I'd suggest taking us a little more seriously Magnius."

Magnius grunted and readied his battle axe.

"Fine, I'll take care of you myself!"

Magnius jumped straight off his floating seat and aimed a mighty downward cleave at Naruto who sidestepped and watched in horror as the axe completely imbedded itself in the solid metal floor before Magnius freed it and went after them.

"You really think you're going to live through this?"

Magnius charged Colette and at the last moment, turned around and swung his axe at Naruto, emitting a read lion's head of pure destructive mana at him.

"Beast!"

Naruto flew back roaring in surprise and pain as he smashed into the wall of consoles and was imbedded deep into it. Naruto gritted his teeth and got out, rolling to the side as Magnius cleaved downwards again right where Naruto had been, his axe head exploding against the ground upon impact.

"Hell Axe!"

The others quickly got a grip and began the battle as well. Colette, Genis and Raine began charging spells while Naruto, Lloyd and Kratos kept Magnius occupied. Despite the ungodly size and weight of his weapon, Magnius obviously had the skill of someone who had trained all his life with that weapon, and then some. He managed to block the vast majority of hits from all three of the close quarters combatants when Genis unleashed his spell.

"Aqua Edge!"

Three bolts of water fired from Genis's Kendama and splattered against the shaft of his battle axe, spraying him. Magnius grunted and swung his axe wildly to get the tree away from him as he wiped his eyes. He also used this break to cast a mana circle, which Naruto used to charge in. However, he noticed far too late what Magnius intended to do.

"Flame Lance!"

From the roof, a giant bolt of pure fire struck exactly where Naruto was standing, searing him and then exploding as it hit the ground, throwing him back as he hit the ground with a heavy thud. The others looked at him worriedly when Magnius smirked.

"No time to look away!"

If anyone had been looking at Naruto then, they would have seen his body surrounded by a blue glow as he stood up and formed a ram seal, quickly being surrounded by a cerulean blue mana circle. Raine looked at Naruto, stopping her spell.

"Naruto… When did you learn to use a Mana Circle…"

The charge completed and the room went dark as the mana circle expanded and turned into an amazingly intricate seal which gave off the distinct impression of water to everyone present.

"**I call upon the Maiden of the Mist, I summon thee, come, Undine!"**

Naruto disappeared and in the giant mana circle's place was a pool of mana enriched water. From the water, Undine rose. Everyone, especially Magnius looked in awe as the Summon Spirit of Water began her spell. She raised a single hand casually and smiled at Magnius.

"Ready?"

Magnius was blasted by surges of water that came from no where, being smashed against the roof and walls. At the end of it, the room returned to normal and Naruto came back, obviously very pleased with himself. Magnius grunted from the ground and got up, panting heavily as blood streamed down his face.

"Not bad for a vermin. But it's over."

Magnius threw his axe at Naruto who dodged it. However, this was what Magnius wanted as he ran up and took hold of Naruto and blasted him with an insane amount of fire infused mana, so much her burnt his own hand.

"Hell Hound!"

Naruto flew back and smashed into some other consoles where he did not get up again. Lloyd turned around and glared at Magnius.

"You bastard!"

Lloyd impaled Magnius through his chest, causing him to drop to his knees.

"I lost… to a bunch of… kids?"

Magnius looked at the group and coughed up blood.

"How… How could a superior Hal-Elf like me…"

Kratos looked coldly at Magnius.

"It's because you are a fool, Magnius. Cruxis has accepted Colette as the Chosen."

Magnius looked startled and coughed up another chunk of blood.

"What?"

Lloyd sheaths his swords and nods.

"Yeah! Colette's going to regenerate the world! We're not going to lose to someone like you!"

Magnius shook his head in disbelief.

"Then… You… I… Was deceived…"

Magnius felt to the floor and stopped moving. The group immediately went to check on Naruto, Kratos and Raine checking over him. Raine smiled.

"He was only knocked unconscious. Considering how much mana was put into that attack, it surprises me he's alive at all."

Kratos nodded and looked around the room, immediately going to check on Magnius, taking several important looking items for later when Raine stood up.

"Kratos, I need you to carry Naruto out of here."

Kratos nodded and sheathed his sword before walking over and carefully picking Naruto up. Raine looked around.

"Many of the consoles are damaged beyond repair, but there's enough left for this to be re-established as a Desian stronghold…"

Lloyd looked at Raine questioningly.

"Is there some way we can just blow this place up? That will solve that."

Raine nodded.

"Although it's an extreme way of dealing with it, it would probably be the best course of action. This Ranch should have a self detonation sequence."

Raine immediately found a still intact terminal and activated it, browsing through the banks before finding it. She cursed under her breath.

"It's password protected…"

At that point, Naruto opened his eyes.

"That hurt…"

Everyone smiled to see Naruto conscious once again.

"Naruto! You're ok!"

Naruto nodded.

"Somehow…"

Naruto looked over at the console.

"Kratos, put me down please…"

Kratos nodded and put Naruto down who shook his head and looked at the screen, pressing several buttons.

"Seems there's an alternative way to activate the self destruct sequence…"

Raine looked at Naruto in amazement.

"You know how to use Desian Machinery?"

Naruto shrugged.

"Back home, we use machines like these for medical purposes. My team mate is the head nurse's apprentice, so I help her out from time to time."

Raine nodded slowly as Naruto couldn't help but smirk and burst out laughing. Raine saw it as well and couldn't help but giggle. One by one the others came up and burst out laughing. Even the ever stoic Kratos cracked a smile.

'_Secret Question: What is my favourite colour? Hint: Mix white with my hair colour.'_

Naruto couldn't stop laughing.

"Mr 'I'm tough as nails' favourite colour is pink? HAHAHAHAHA! Oh that's just too good!"

Everyone slowly recovered and Naruto typed it in and pressed enter, but it returned an error. He shrugged and tried it with a capital 'P' and it worked. Naruto smirked.

"Grammar freak…"

A final dialogue box came up to confirm or cancel the self destruct order, which Naruto smirked to.

"One down, four to go."

Naruto pressed the button and nodded in satisfaction as the 15 minute timer started. They turned and ran out of the room, leaving Magnius to be cremated along with his soldiers and Ranch.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**10 Minutes Later:**

Magnius grunted and slowly crawled towards a small panel set into the ground.

"I must… Inform Forcystus… While I can…"

The panel near Magnius activated, showing the image of a rather short overweight man wearing purple sunglasses, a shock of brown spike hair and green flowing robes that parted down the middle.

"I have a slight problem with you contacting Lord Forcystus, Magnius. You see, he'd realise what I'm trying to do."

Magnius looked up at the man in pure hatred.

"Rodyle… You… Deceived me! There was no order to kill the Chosen, was there?"

Rodyle chuckled darkly.

"Collecting Gald for me, attempting to eliminate the Chosen for me, you've been quite useful to me, Magnius. Farewell! I hope you enjoy the afterlife!"

The transmission ends and the panel started smoking, the smell of burning circuitry emanating from it.

"Dammit… Lord Yggdrasil, glory to the coming age of Half-Elves!"

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**5 Minutes Later:**

The Ranch's generator went into overdrive, starting a fire which ran along the fuel lines and into the three fuel tanks, making them explode violently and almost completely obliterating the Ranch, leaving nothing but charred and smoking remains. The group nodded at their handy work and turned around for the trek back to the House of Salvation.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** Well how about that, I'm finally done with this chapter. Sorry if I took so long, but the reason is on my topic as to why I did and has been there for a week now. Anywho, take care everyone, I'll get around to updating when I do.

One final note, I'm changing my pen name to Synica, my 'fursona's' name. For those who are going to ask me 'what's a fursona?' Check the first link in my profile's link section. That will answer it more throughly than I can.

Specula/Synica.


	8. The Village of Wind Spirits Asgard

**A/N:** Yeah, I'm back. Sorry for the late update, and whatnot, just got a lot of stuff going on at this point in time, that and I've been trying hard to remember what exactly happened in Tales of Symphonia at this point, so I had to refer to a well written story guide and script. If he or she is reading, kylohk from GameFAQs, you're a life saver.

Later note; Wow, I just went out and bought myself a Gamecube. They're very cheap right now because of the Wii, which I can't afford, nor get my hands on because of how fast it sells. Which means that I can play through the game as I write this story.

Now, I've gotten a fair few reviews and PMs before I shut that function down lamenting or mentioning the fact that I was gone for good. **No, I'm not gone for good, just taking it easy!** People, I'm still here. All I said was I wouldn't update for ages at a time.

**Note to certain unnamed reviewers;** While I love the hatemail and really crudely spelt reviews and PMs; keep them to yourselves please.

**Note to anyone who visits the Golden Sun part of this site;** You guys are by far the worst group of people I've had to deal with on this site; even worse than the Naruto fandom. Granted, your reviews and personal messages are far better spelt and structured than them, but in exchange, you've got the Messiah 'I am god and you shall submit to my might, heathen' complex going. I don't care how good you think you are; you're still spoilt little kids who can be destroyed just as easily as I can, and I would take great pleasure in teaching that to you in person. Grow up seriously; you're a disgrace and an appalling group of failures of unmatched proportions throughout the anime/manga/video game fandoms.

_Hears a collective 'oooooooooooo' from the crowd as well as several 'OH, BURN!s'_

And now, the next chapter of Two Worlds, Two Ninja;

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU/SPELL..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Two Worlds, Two Ninja:

Chapter Seven:

The Village of Wind Spirits; Asgard:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**After the Ranch Assault:**

After a quick stop at the House of Salvation the day after their assault and destruction of the Palmacosta Ranch, the group headed back towards Hakonesia Peak. By the end of the next day, they had arrived. Naruto smiled and picked out the statue of Spiritua that he had recovered from the Geyser and opened the door to see the old man staring at his odd collection of relics. Naruto stepped up to him.

"Sorry for interrupting your thoughts, but I believe you wanted this in exchange for letting us read the scripture?"

The man turned around angrily, but brightened considerably when he saw it. Naruto handed the statue to the man as he checked it over.

"No doubt, this is the real statue. Thank you young man. As promised, you can look at the scripture whenever you want."

Naruto nodded and turned around.

"Colette, can you read the scripture? It looks badly damaged, but we should be able to get some idea of where to go to release the next seal or two."

The man narrowed his eyes at Naruto suspiciously.

"Did you say release the seals?"

Naruto looked at Colette.

"Colette, can you bright out your wings for a moment please?"

Colette nodded and did so making the man's eyes widen.

"Those wings… You really are the Chosen… then those…"

Naruto nodded as he turned to the man.

"Yeah, they've been giving us a lot of trouble."

The man shook his head.

"I must apologise, my eyesight is terrible in my old age… Please, take the scripture with you."

Naruto shook his head.

"Normally, that would be a good idea, but the scripture is in such poor condition that moving it any more could easily damage it further. Can we leave it here and view it when we need to?"

The man nodded.

"Of corse. I assume you're going to go over the mountain and travel north?"

Naruto nodded and pulled out the ticket he had taken from the guard's corpse that had been holding Chocolat.

"We can pass with this, right?"

The man nodded.

"I was going to say don't worry about the fee or the ticket, but it seems you have that covered…"

Naruto sweat dropped, as did everyone else in the room. Naruto turned to Colette.

"Alright, let's read it."

Colette nodded and touched the small fractured blue orb, making scrolls of text appear above it. Naruto's eyes narrowed as this foreign language before him started to be legible to him.

"What language is this?"

"This is the Angelic language."

"I can read fragments of it, despite the fact I've never seen it before…"

Kratos shook his head.

"That is not possible. Although the Angelic language is the foundation for all spoken languages, it requires years of study to be able to read it even partially."

Naruto peered at it closer.

"Among the bones of the deceased wind cultists lies a path to glory, the resting place of the spirits of wind… At the roof of the world lies a tower of domination, giving the overlord unobstructed views of all he surveys and commands, the only bastion of light in a world of darkness… At the centre of the world lies the path to the light's greatest strongh-"

Naruto didn't get to finish as Kratos drew his sword and pointed at Naruto's throat before anyone could move.

"The light would never use such dominating words, especially in relation to itself. The only way you could read this broken, fractured script is if you were fluent in the Fallen Angelic language, Demonic. Demons guard their language zealously from outsiders. Even if your name is truly Uzumaki Naruto, having a minion of hell with us is unacceptable."

Everyone shivered as they felt the temperature in the room drop considerably.

"I **dare** you to call me that again. You have crossed a very dangerous line, Kratos. A line none have lived to survive."

Kratos' hand went to his sword and Naruto's his lance.

"Step outside Kratos. I'm going to teach you what happens when you don't think before you spew shit out of your mouth. While I'm at it, I'll get that stick out of your rear end."

Kratos turned and walked outside.

"Very well then."

Both men stepped outside, with the others following them. They stood opposite each other. Naruto put away his lance and closed his eyes.

"I'm going to make sure you can never spew that level of crap again Kratos. You'll be lucky to live through this."

Kratos merely snorted and charged Naruto, who's hands were surrounded in mana.

'_I haven't mastered this jutsu yet, but it should be enough…'_

Naruto charged in, jumping over Kratos' sword swipe, aiming his left arm for Kratos' sword arm. Kratos expertly dodged it, only to se it had all been a ploy. The real Naruto was behind him, touching both arms and legs, making Kratos crumple to the ground. Naruto walked up to him and slammed his foot onto Kratos' chest.

"I don't know what you were thinking, Kratos, but you never stood a chance. You didn't even take me completely seriously. Now, call me a minion of hell again. Let's see if you have the guts to. Either that or forever hold your peace."

Naruto focused his rough chakra scalpel around his right hand and glared down at Kratos, who gritted his teeth in pain. Naruto's hand was several inches away from his throat when Colette called out.

"Naruto, stop!"

Naruto's hand stopped where it was and he looked at Colette.

"Even though Kratos called you something like that, it doesn't mean he deserves to die…"

Naruto turned this over in his mind for a moment before getting off Kratos.

"Consider yourself lucky, Kratos. Next time you screw up like that, pleas from others or not…"

Naruto walked back and picked up his lance before looking back at Kratos.

"I'll finish you."

Kratos seemed to sense the sincerity in Naruto's eyes and nodded painfully. Naruto turned around and formed three hand seals, helping reattach the muscles he had roughly cut. Once he had done Kratos' arms, he let Kratos fix his own legs and stood up.

"After all that, Kratos let me say one thing: As far as I'm concerned and when it all comes down to it, Colette is more useful to me alive than dead. She is essentially the reason we're not only here now, but why we are travelling as a group. While she is alive, in exchange for protecting her, I'm looking for a way back home. If that's not good enough for you, I'll make a blood oath on it."

Kratos sensed that Naruto wasn't lying and sheathed his sword, standing up as he finished healing hid leg.

"A demon never offers to make a blood oath unless they know they can keep it. That is good enough for me."

Naruto nodded and gave Kratos a look that clearly said 'I'm on to you too' as he straightened.

"Well, at least we have a complete, if somewhat depressing view of where to go. Let's get going."

They nodded slowly and followed Naruto at a distant pace, not sure if he would keep it, not sure what to say. They quickly crossed the mountain path and made their way towards the city of Asgard, if the signpost told them correctly. As night began to fall, the group walked through the city gates and looked around, seeing two inns to stay at. Naruto turned and looked at them.

"If you don't feel comfortable sleeping in the same room or building as me, I'll take a room in the other one."

Colette shook her head.

"I don't mind Naruto. I know you were speaking the truth today, so I don't mind if you sleep near us."

Lloyd shrugged.

"If Colette's ok with it, so am I."

Genis nodded.

"Me too."

Kratos shrugged slightly.

"I see no problem with it."

Raine sighed.

"You're all too kind hearted, I swear… I suppose its ok."

Naruto smiled.

"Alright, thanks guys."

With that, they passed the first Inn which was crowded beyond belief and walked down to the second one which was noticeably less crowded. They opened the door and the inn keeper smiled at them.

"Welcome! You're just in time for dinner! Will you be needed a room tonight?"

Naruto nodded.

"How much for all of us?"

The woman smiled.

"300 Gald per night, dinner included."

Naruto nodded and handed her 3 one hundred Gald coins which she pocketed and smiled.

"Thank you. Dinner is being served in the dining room which is over there through the door. Your room is the master bunking room."

Naruto nodded again.

"Thank you."

The group proceeded to the dining hall when Colette lost all the colour in her face.

"I… don't feel so well…"

Naruto turned to look at Colette and narrowed his eyes.

"Colette, your lips are starting to turn purple… You've had nothing to eat since breakfast… You need energy, regardless of how sick you are…"

Naruto reached into his pouch and withdrew one of his solider pills.

"Try and keep this down. It may be full of protein and fat, but it's also full of nutrients and should help you fight off whatever it is that you've been afflicted with …"

Colette nodded and took it. Naruto shook his head, answering the unasked question.

"Those pills are too expensive to prove their not poisonous, especially when we're getting essentially free food."

Kratos nodded.

"You've given those pills to others before and none have become sick as a result. I will give you the benefit of the doubt with this. I will go and make sure Colette is alright."

Naruto shrugged.

"Suit yourself. More food for the rest of us, I guess…"

The others nodded slowly while Naruto grabbed a plate nearby, taking the thick stew that was being served from the cooking pot and a bread roll, before sitting down at a nearly empty table. The others got theirs and sat close, but not next to Naruto, silently watching him out of the corners of their eyes, looking for something he did he wouldn't usually do, but failed as he finished and got a second serving. The group finished theirs, Lloyd going for a small seconds and finishing about the time Naruto finished his much larger seconds. Naruto stood up and took his plate back to the lady washing up who nodded and smiled at him as he placed it where she could reach it easily.

"Thank you young man."

"No problem."

The others watched him leave the room and head for their room for the night. The others slowly got up and gave their plates to the woman Naruto had given his to and followed him. As they opened the door, they overheard Naruto and Kratos' conversation.

"Kratos, I don't know what's afflicting Colette, but I will run out of Soldier Pills very soon at this rate… She almost seems to blanch at the sight or smell of food…"

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but there is no other way… If possible, please ask your village for an extra supply of Soldier Pills. If it's the only thing Colette can manage to keep down, then we don't have a choice. Either we try and feed her the pills or she will die before she can complete the Journey of Regeneration."

Naruto sighed heavily and sat down heavily on a bed.

"I guess it can't be helped… Alright, I'll see what I can do… And guys, if you want to listen into the conversation, then come in, it's impolite to eavesdrop."

The door opened and the other three stood there looking somewhat abashed.

"Sorry, we didn't want to interrupt. How is Colette?"

Naruto noticed the attempted subject change as the group came in and sat down on another bed. He looked back at her and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face as Kratos put a cool washcloth over her forehead.

"To be frank, I'm amazed she is even able to walk, let alone fight. She has a temperature of at least half a degree higher at all times, her heartbeat is nearly considered erratic as well as a lot of other things…"

Lloyd scratched his head in incomprehension.

"Half a degree? That's not that much is it?"

Genis nodded.

"When we're talking about the body, it's very high considering that's the ambient temperature."

"Ambient?"

Raine nodded as she looked Colette over.

"Lloyd, despite human's amazing ability to adapt to harsh conditions, their body is still very fragile. Even half a degree hotter or colder can noticeably affect that person."

Both Naruto and Kratos nodded in agreement. Lloyd looked at Naruto desperately.

"Naruto, isn't there something you can do?"

Naruto shook his head.

"I've learnt only the basic medical Ninjutsu out of necessity. If my team mate was here, she could probably do something about it. She's the apprentice of the legendary female medic Tsunade."

"Legendary female medic Tsunade?"

Naruto nodded.

"She's the current leader of my village and also the best medic there ever was. She's able to heal wounds no one else can, even remove numerous microscopic bone fragments from a person's organs that was labelled as a 'cripple for life' and get him back into full fighting fitness… Although I make fun of her because she's the closest thing I've ever had to a mother and she can be rather obnoxious at times, I'll admit her monstrous strength and healing skills are only equalled by her student, my team mate Sakura."

"The closest thing you ever had to a mother?"

Naruto nodded.

"I've never had any parents. I've given up that I was even born of natural methods."

Naruto stopped his little trip down memory lane with a sigh.

"But that's a story for another time."

Something popped into the back of his mind.

"Oh crap… I forgot to summon Gamakichi to let my village know I'm alive…"

He bit his thumb and flew through the hand seals before summoning Gamakichi. As the smoke cleared, Naruto saw a very annoyed frog with a vein twitching on his forehead and knew he was in big trouble.

"Why haven't you summoned me earlier?! HUH? Do you know the kind of abuse I've gotten from your friends for not-"

Naruto clapped a hand over Gamakichi's mouth.

"Quiet. I know and I'm sorry, but look around you."

Gamakichi's eyes widened and took a look at Colette and nodded slightly.

"Sorry. Alright, give me the low down and any requests for stuff you have."

Naruto nodded.

"As far as success goes, the mission went off without a hitch. We've killed Magnius and destroyed the base. The hostage, a girl named Chocolat fell for one of Magnius' half truths and is still in the custody of the Desians. I was injured during the battle with Magnius, but I'm fine now."

Gamakichi nodded.

"What's with blondie?"

Naruto's eyebrow twitched at Gamakichi's pet name for Colette.

"We don't know. She literally blanches at the sight or smell of food and the only way we can get any form of nutrients into her is with Soldier Pills. I've nearly run out of mine. Not only that she has a constant ambient temperature of at least half a degree while at rest, shallow breathing and what could almost be classified as an erratic heartbeat."

Gamakichi nodded as he looked over her.

"No kidding… She doesn't look too good. Alright, so a bag of soldier pills. Anything else?"

Naruto decided to risk it and ask right out in front of the others.

"Any news on Sasuke?"

Gamakichi nodded.

"He's killed Orochimaru."

Naruto's eyes widened beyond belief.

"What? When?"

"News got to us just recently from one of Jiraiya's sources. His behaviour doesn't fit with what we've seen so far. He's freeing all of Orochimaru's prisoners on the condition that they tell everyone that Sasuke is going to bring peace to the world."

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"That doesn't sound right… Sasuke has always been the brooding dark type, not the one for world piece…"

"Who's Sasuke?"

Naruto looked at Lloyd carefully.

"His full name is Uchiha Sasuke, one of the last of the Uchiha Clan, as well as my other team mate, best friend and the closest thing I ever had to a brother."

The other's took this and noted it. Naruto smiled slightly.

"So, it seems that the first of the Neo-Sannin has taken over his Sensei's position…"

"Neo-Sannin?"

Naruto nodded.

"Several generations ago there were three legendary Ninja who hailed from my village. They were Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin, Tsunade, the Slug Sannin, and Jiraiya, the Frog Sannin. All three were regarded as the single strongest ninjas of their age in their fields. Orochimaru was the single best Ninjutsu master and all around Genius, Tsunade was the queen of healing and strength while Jiraiya was the master of seals. However, Orochimaru has left our village in pursuit of immortality, and has drawn Sasuke to him. Jiraiya and Tsunade left shortly afterwards but in a more legal manner. Both Jiraiya and Tsunade have since returned. All three have taken on an apprentice, who are known as the Neo-Sannin. All three were from the same Genin team; my Genin team. Sasuke with his Sharingan that can copy all spells and movements became the Neo-Ninjutsu Master and the fastest human alive, Sakura with her perfect control of mana and ability to use illusions became the Neo-Medical and Genjutsu master, while I with my innate knowledge for seals and my massive stamina became the Neo-Seals and Taijutsu Master."

All of them listened with rapt attention to Naruto's tale. Lloyd smiled widely.

"Wow, you're so cool, Naruto!"

Kratos nodded.

"That is quite a tale…"

"Fasted human alive? How fast can he move?"

Naruto looked at Genis steadily.

"If he's standing a hundred paces from you, he can have his Kusanagi through your stomach before you've begun taking a breath."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"That kind of speed is impossible…"

Naruto shook his head.

"He's a lightning elemental specialist. He relies on supreme speed and power to make lightning fast fatal attacks in exchange for sacrificing his defence."

Kratos nodded.

"That is the sign of a lightning specialist without a doubt. Such people have existed before."

The group was quiet for a second before Naruto turned back to Gamakichi.

"Alright, so a bag of soldier pills."

Gamakichi nodded.

"Anything else?"

"How close are Akatsuki?"

Gamakichi narrowed his eyes.

"There's three more including you and Shichibi."

Naruto sighed and sat back.

"We'll have to pick up the pace…"

Gamakichi nodded.

"Need anything else?"

"Yeah, could you get some more blank scrolls and some ink?"

"Alright. Apart from those two, anything else?"

Naruto shook his head.

"No, I'm fine for now."

Gamakichi nodded and gave a mock salute.

"Alright then, ja."

Gamakichi poofed out of existence as the group sat in silence for 15 minutes, until Naruto summoned Gamakichi again who chucked him a bag of soldier pills and a scroll. Naruto opened up the scroll to see it filled with sealed blank scrolls and a bottle of calligraphy ink.

"Take care, buddy."

Naruto nodded

"You too, thanks again."

With that Gamakichi poofed out of existence and the group settled in for the night.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning:**

The first rays of sunlight shone down through the mountain range and bathed the village of Asgard in an eerily twilight, the sign for many shop keepers and labourers to start their day. As always, Naruto was awake as the first ray of sunlight shone through the faded curtains and got a bearing on his surroundings before pushing the covers back and swung his legs over the floor as he became fully awake. He was a deep sleeper, but when he work up, it only took him several seconds to become fully aware of his surroundings. The others began stirring as Naruto reached into his pouch and pulled out one of the last of the older soldier pills and left it next to Colette. He got up and threw on his black shirt and tied his black and orange jacket around his waist before throwing his Jounin Vest on and silently walked to the door where he got his sandals and saw the door slightly ajar so he walked across the floor to the front door, the boards creaking under his feet as he stepped outside and saw a shadow overhang him and knew it was Kratos.

"Morning, Kratos."

"Morning, Naruto."

Naruto sighed and hopped up onto the roof where he sat next to Kratos and looked at the sky. Despite the fact there was an overlying tension between them, both of them were calm before Naruto looked at the ground.

"About yesterday, I'm-"

"I'm sorry."

Naruto looked up at Kratos with no small amount of shock as he explained.

"I put my duty first and spoke without forethought. While I have my suspicions which came to a head yesterday, I can tell you're not exactly what you claim to be, nor are you what we think you are."

Naruto smirked and leaned back, putting his hands behind his head as the last of the stars faded into the orange sky of morning.

"I suppose I could say the exact same thing for you. But I suppose we know well enough to leave that alone, not just your case, but mine as well for the time being. What matters right now is Colette."

Kratos nodded in agreement and pulled on knee up and hugged it loosely.

"Very true."

Naruto closed his eyes before smiling slightly.

"To think that only 5 years ago I was nearly a mirror copy of Lloyd…"

Kratos' eyebrow rose as he turned to Naruto.

"How do you mean?"

Naruto smiled widely with his eyes shut acutely aware that Lloyd was listening.

"Loud, obnoxious, unthinking, blunt and naive…"

Kratos raised his eyebrow and felt Lloyd tense until Naruto sighed.

"He also has a heart of gold, puts others before himself, truly cares for others' feelings and a high set of morals. With time, if we can work on the outspokenness and craving for attention, he'll become one of the best warriors this world has seen for quite some time, won't you Lloyd?"

"Gah!"

Naruto chuckled slightly while Kratos smiled as Lloyd stumbled forward and tripped over a stone in the dirt path.

"And being a klutz. We need to work on that. After all, we don't want you to impale yourself on your own sword, do we?"

Naruto laughed at that while Kratos had a quiet chuckle. Even Lloyd saw the funny side to it and brushed himself off as he smiled and scratched his head sheepishly. Soon, everyone was up and apart from Colette, sitting in the dining room as a breakfast of rolled oats and some fruit was being served. Breakfast was a fairly silent affair and once the group was ready gathered their stuff and walked outside. They walked around town, noticing the townspeople were extremely tense. When they got to the residential section, they heard shouting from one of the houses. It sounded like a domestic dispute, and a heated one at that. A man slammed the door open, giving them a guarded look before walking back the way they had just come from. They shrugged as a woman came out of the house, obviously distraught.

"I hope Linar isn't thinking of doing something stupid…"

She looked at the group and smiled slightly before looking at the sky and going back inside. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Something's going on…"

Kratos nodded.

"Everyone appears tense…"

Raine looked around before nodding.

"It's very similar to the calm before a storm…"

Naruto nodded.

"The wind has a lot of mana infused into it… It's all coming from whatever was at the top of those stairs at the back of the town…"

Genis glared at Naruto.

"You can tell that?"

Naruto nodded.

"As one of the only wind specialists alive, it's very easy for me to tell."

Kratos raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I remember you mentioning your affinity for wind before on several occasions…"

Lloyd shrugged.

"Wind sounds kind of weak compared to something like fire…"

"Never belittle the power of the wind, Lloyd."

Everyone turned to Naruto as he glared at Lloyd.

"Even the gentlest of breezes can grind the mightiest of mountains into dust over time. Of all five major elements, wind is by far the strongest and the hardest to control. There is no such thing as a blade sharper and stronger than a blade of wind. Not only that, but Lightning is an offshoot of Wind. A true master of Wind can turn Wind into Lightning."

Everyone took this in as Kratos nodded.

"Naruto speaks words of great wisdom. Lloyd, those with an affinity for Wind are few and far between as he has said… No structure made by humans can stand up to the wind's fury. Do not waste that gift."

Lloyd nodded as they turned and began walking up the massive staircase. Naruto began panting slightly.

"By god… The amount of Wind based mana here is incredible…"

Raine and Genis nodded in agreement as they reached the top and Raine's eyes lit up.

"It's the Asgard Ruin!"

She turned to Lloyd and stared at him.

"Lloyd, state the historical background of these ruins."

The colour from his face drained as he balked at the question.

"Ah… Um… Well, let's see…"

Naruto remained silent so as he could learn anything he could about this strange world and its history. Genis took over for Lloyd.

"This is where Cleo the Third held a ritual to offer a sacrifice to the Summon Spirit of Wind in order to quell a storm that had raged for a week."

Lloyd nodded.

"Yeah, that's it."

Naruto chuckled at that while Raine just shook her head in disbelief.

"Gah! Have you learnt anything at all these past five years?!?"

"PE and Art and-"

Raine sighed heavily.

"Never mind…"

She turned around as Naruto ran a hand along the smooth surface of the stone.

"What perfect form!"

Naruto nodded.

"It's perfectly smooth and sharp, yet wavy, much like the wind itself… This is without a doubt a wind oriented structure… The sheer amount of Wind Mana infused into the stone isn't something that any stonemason could achieve…"

Raine nodded.

"It's marvellous, isn't it?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah…"

Both of them kept talking while Kratos went for a walk and Lloyd glared at both Raine and Naruto, wondering how both of them could be so interested over a slab of rock. Shrugging, he took the opposite direction to Kratos and walked around the side where he saw two people talking in hushed voices next to an object. The red haired one nodded.

"Listen, Linar, this is my invention the 'breaker'. If we use this bomb, we can easily destroy this confounded dais."

Linar scratched his head. Lloyd recognised him as the man who left the house after the domestic dispute from just before.

"B… But Harley… This is a rare and valuable remnant of the Balacruf Dynasty! We can't destroy it…"

"What are you talking about? As things stand now, Aisha may be killed!"

"What are you two doing?"

Both of them turned to Lloyd in shock as he approached them and stood in front of them. Harley looked at Lloyd fearfully.

"Wha… Who are you?"

"It… It's not what you think! We weren't trying to destroy the ruin at all!"

All three of them froze as a sudden sense of impending doom washed over them. Lloyd looked up and saw Naruto glaring down at them.

"Did I just hear that right? You two are planning to blow this ruin sky high, huh?"

Linar shook his head violently.

"No! We're not! I swear!"

Naruto pointed to the bomb as Raine came up behind him.

"That bomb there says otherwise, liar."

Raine glared at them.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!?"

Naruto smirked and stood aside.

"They said they were going to blow this dais to pieces."

Raine jumped down as Lloyd stepped back.

"AND YOU CALL YOURSELVES HUMAN BEINGS?!?!"

Both Lloyd and Naruto smirked as she gave both of them a boot to the chest, sending them sprawling. Harley recovered first.

"I'm a half-elf!"

Naruto snorted.

"Just a tip; I don't think she cares."

Lloyd had to hold in his laughter as Raine turned to Harley and glared, making him cower slightly.

"What does that have to do with anything? Do you realise the importance of this ruin?"

All four males suddenly got a sinking feeling when Raine placed a hand to the ruin and flipped the switch to begin the countdown of the bomb.

"Oh crap…"

"You say you're going to destroy this fabulous ruin? Now listen here, this ruin was-"

"Raine-"

"Not now, Naruto."

"RAINE!"

Everyone turned to Naruto who jumped down and looked at the ticking timer.

"They won't but you might just have done it! You fool!"

Raine was aghast by what she had done as Naruto glanced over it.

"What's in the box? What kind of explosive? Tell me, quickly!"

Harley shook his head slightly to clean his stupor.

"Uh… Nitro-glycerine…"

"Shit… I don't have a choice…"

Naruto pulled out a scroll as the others quickly gathered around.

"All of you, get back! I'm going to seal this!"

Naruto ripped out a scroll and his calligraphy brush and ink well as he hastily made an appropriate seal.

"Naruto, hurry… It's got less than a minute left!"

"Don't rush me! I know how much I have left!"

Naruto quickly finished the seal and put the brush down carefully, making three hand seals before slamming his palm onto the ground.

"Stasis Seal!"

A wisp of mana came out of the scroll and engulfed the bomb, sucking it back inside the seal which warped to show the Kanji for 'seal' inside the circle. Naruto sighed in relief and rolled the scroll back up, tightening it and then making it erupt into flames, throwing it over the side of the mountain where it turned to ash and floated away on the wind.

"Hey, you're pretty good to be able to defeat the 'unbreakable' breaker."

Naruto turned around and slammed him up against the wall.

"YOU IDIOT! HOW CAN YOU BE SUCH AN INCOMPETENT DUMBASS? DON'T CREATE THINGS YOU CAN'T CONTROL! For the love of god, you nearly killed us, and that includes the Chosen!"

Everyone stared in shock at Naruto's very angry and seemingly spontaneous outburst. Naruto sighed and dropped Harley.

"Sorry about that. I do not have good experiences with people creating objects they cannot control…"

Harley nodded slowly.

"No… No problem…"

Just then, they became aware that they were not alone and turned just as an elderly man and two much younger ones came around the corner.

"What is the meaning of this? Trespassing in this area is forbidden!"

Linar rubbed the back of his head.

"It's the Mayor!"

Naruto and Kratos nodded as they grabbed Lloyd, Colette and Genis and ran, Raine reluctantly following them, hot on the heels of Harley and Linar as they rushed back to the residential area. Naruto let Genis and Lloyd go while Kratos let Colette go as they followed them into their house and glared at them. The woman they saw earlier eyes widened.

"Who are you?"

Naruto pointed to Harvey and Linar.

"The ones who stopped these two idiots from blowing up the Dais."

"Meddling Tourists-"

He didn't get to finish the sentence as Naruto again slammed him up against the wall and growled ferally at him, one hand still by his side.

"Let's get one thing straight here. **I** stopped **you** from killing all of us. You're already on thin ice, so watch how you speak around me and my companions."

Naruto dropped him and took a deep, frustrated breath.

"Alright, sorry about that. But I would appreciate a full explanation as to what exactly is going on in this town."

All of the others nodded as the woman shook her head.

"I suppose we should explain. Please take a seat."

They nodded and did so as Linar explained.

"Every few years, a ritual is held in honour of the great Summon Spirit of Wind. This time, Aisha was chosen for it. It requires the sacrifice of a maiden to appease the Summon Spirit of Wind. Originally, it consisted of just dancing on the platform, but-"

Harvey glared at Linar.

"But this idiot started messing with the stone dais as part of his research and opened the seal. Because of that, the summon spirit of wind-thing awoke and is demanding sacrifices."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he thought it over. Raine's eyes snapped open at Harley's last comment.

"Seal? This is the…"

Linar nodded.

"Yes. If you too are researching the Balacruf Relics, then you must be aware of the altar erected to praise the summon spirit of wind. The seal really existed, just as the legend said!"

"Are you saying the Balacruf Pillar Hieroglyphs aren't just a myth?"

Linar nodded, much to Raine's shock.

"Yes! In the back of the platform, there is a small indentation, and-"

Harley gritted his teeth and turned to face the group.

"That's enough! Aisha's about to be sacrificed to the Summon Spirit tonight! Now get out!"

Aisha sent them an apologetic look as they shrugged and walked out the door, wondering what they could do next. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Sacrificing a maiden to the Summon Spirit of Wind…"

Raine looked at Naruto.

"Something wrong, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head, keeping his doubts to himself.

"No, just thinking…"

Raine nodded as they mulled around before ending back at the Ruins. They shrugged and walked up the stairs, reaching the half way point where the Mayor and two guards stood.

"You… You were the ones up on the Dais earlier… Did you not hear me the first time?"

Naruto stepped forward on the group's behalf.

"Our apologies for that. However, this whole deal with sacrificing maidens is slightly off."

The mayor's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Do you have any idea what you are saying, child?"

Naruto nodded.

"As a summoner and a master of wind, I would think I have much more of an idea than you give me credit for."

The man's eyes widened as Raine nodded.

"Yes, Naruto has inherited the lost arts of summoning and is extremely proficient with wind."

The man nodded slowly.

"Perhaps it is a long shot, but would you be able to talk to the Summon Spirit on our behalf? We will have Aisha perform the ritual to summon it…"

Naruto shook his head.

"If it's a maiden the spirit wants, it does not necessarily have to be female. Long ago, the word maiden could be used in reference to males as well. Although male maidens are extremely rare, I would dare say I am one, and if it's a female maiden he wants-"

Naruto formed a ram seal and covered himself with smoke, which blew away to reveal a stunning female blonde in Naruto's place, smiling.

"It's a female he gets. I will perform the ritual."

The Mayor and his associates rubbed their eyes in disbelief.

"Just who or what are you?"

She smiled and placed a hand on her hip.

"Naruto Uzumaki, or in this form, Naruko Uzumaki, one of the three neo Sannin, summoner, wind specialist and seals master."

Lloyd looked at Naruto in a slightly dead panned expression as he leaned in to Genis and whispered to him.

"Is it just me or is Naruto's self introduction title growing longer every time he does it?"

Genis nodded.

"Yeah… I'm beginning to wonder if he's making it up as he goes along…"

Kratos just shook his head.

"Who would have thought that spell ever had a practical use like this…"

The Mayor nodded slowly.

"Then please go and discuss this with Aisha… The ritual is due to take place in an hours' time."

Naruto nodded and changed back to his male form.

"Alright then."

All of them walked back to Aisha's house and walked inside where they saw her praying quietly at an alter in the house. She sighed and shook her head.

"I still have a few more minutes…"

"Aisha, can we talk to you for a moment please?"

She turned around and smiled at them.

"Oh, it's you. What is it?"

Naruto smiled at her and walked forward several paces.

"Aisha, we've just talked to the Mayor and he's left it up to you; would you let us perform the ritual in your place?"

She looked started for a moment and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but there's no way I can let someone from the Chosen's group be sacrificed."

Naruto smirked as he looked outside.

"Who said anything about being sacrificed? The ritual will be performed. As a master of wind, I need to confirm something."

Aisha nodded slowly.

"Thank you… You are most kind. So, Raine will be performing the ritual?"

Naruto shook his head.

"No, I will."

With that, he used the transformation again and smiled.

"Like this."

Her eyes widened, taking in Naruto's change in appearance.

"O… Okay…"

Aisha walked to a table and pulled the ritual dress off it.

"You will need to wear this for the ritual."

Naruto nodded and took it.

"Thank you."

He turned and glared at the others.

"Just because I'm male doesn't mean I am like this. Would you mind giving me some privacy?"

They nodded and walked outside as Naruto quickly stripped and put the ritual robes on, noticing it was an extremely tight fit for him in his female form, hugging the curves very noticeably. Aisha smiled as Naruto came back into the room.

"Even if you are male, you look stunning like that…"

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly and laughed.

"Oh go on…"

Aisha shook her head and laughed lightly.

"You even know how to act like one… Are you sure you're a boy?"

Naruto blushed and nodded as he took a more masculine pose.

"Yeah, I was born male. This is nothing more than a disguise."

Aisha nodded as they walked outside. The group turned to look at them and Lloyd's eyes bulghed.

"Wow, who's she? She's really good looking…"

More than one person present sweat dropped as Genis just sighed in disbelief.

"Lloyd, that's Naruto…"

The colour drained from Lloyd's face as he realised that Genis wasn't joking.

"Ewwww! I just called Naruto good looking!"

Naruto winked at Lloyd seductively which made him shiver.

"That's just creepy…"

The group made their way to the altar again where the Mayor waited. He looked Naruto over and nodded.

"That will suffice. However, I will not be held responsible for anything that happens to you."

Naruto nodded.

"I know. Leave it to me."

After being told what the ritual for summoning the Wind Spirit was, Naruto hopped up on the dais and begun the ritual. Tapping the base of his lance on several key points in the dais' pattern, he activated the runic circle and stepped back as light shot up from the middle of the seal and formed a floating creature with two arms that ended in a scythe and a giant scythe for legs. He glared at Naruto.

"Mmmm, a particularly voluptuous one this time…"

Naruto smirked and stood up.

"You? The Summon Spirit of Wind? Don't make me laugh."

The being glared at Naruto in shock as he changed back to his original male form and smiled.

"You're nothing but a minor demon. Come."

Naruto charged it as the others jumped up on the dais to aid him charging in and locked weapons with it. Lloyd saw his chance and got under it's guards before unleashing him attack.

"Sword Rain!"

The demon howled in pain and fell back, dead as its chest was punctured full of holes by Lloyd's vicious combo. Naruto smiled at Lloyd.

"Nice move."

Lloyd nodded and sheathed both of his swords.

"Not bad, huh?"

Naruto walked up to the demon's corpse and stared at it.

"This is not the Summon Spirit of Wind, I'm sure of it. I can sense demons and this is a demon, through and through."

Raine nodded slowly.

"At least we now know the location of the next seal…"

All of them nodded as they turned around to talk to the mayor and the next day, head for the next seal.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** There we go. I can tell some of you will think that it's very rushed towards the end, and to be honest, I agree. I don't spend a lot of time on this fic anymore, and most of the events in Asgard in the game have little to no consequence in regards to the story line. Still, leave a review or whatnot. And yes, I'm opening the PM option again. Anyway, hope you enjoy it anyway. Take care ladies and gents and Ogg the cavemen and Ugg the cavewomen.

Synica/Specula.


	9. The Seal of Wind and the Town of Luin

**A/N:** Wow, I'm still trying to get over how quickly I wrote this chapter… I don't actually have anything to put up here for once…

Well, except for one thing: Yes people! Sheena joins the party in this chapter! Rejoice!

And now, the next chapter of Two Worlds, Two Ninja;

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU/SPELL..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Two Worlds, Two Ninja:

Chapter Eight:

The Seal of Wind and the Town of Luin:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**After the Ritual:**

The group walked out of the town, stopping briefly to let Naruto change out of the ritual dress and take the stone tablet as Raine began decoding it. Naruto looked it over and shrugged.

"The structure of the writing looks familiar, but I can't read a word of it…"

Raine nodded.

"The older style of writing is much closer to Angelic than ours today is. That may be why."

Naruto nodded as they headed back towards the House of Salvation nearby. The mood was calm, but slightly happy. Naruto's eyes widened as he remembered something and turned to Lloyd.

"Lloyd, have you been keeping up your training on the Rasengan?"

Lloyd's face morphed into the look of someone who had been caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"Um… Yes…"

Naruto snorted quietly and smiled.

"Your face tells me otherwise. Come on, you're only cheating yourself, Lloyd."

Lloyd nodded and pulled out one of the balloons Naruto had given him, quickly using his canteen of water to fill it up and then tied it off, placing the canteen back in it's pouch and then began concentrating on the ball, trying to remember where he had gotten to and then tried to make the balloon pop. Not long after, they encountered some rather savage animals that attacked them. Genis smiled as he pulled out his kendama and began channelling his spell.

"Wind Blade!"

Lloyd watched as the multiple wisps of air circled around from the outside, slicing the monster to pieces when his eyes widened in realisation.

"That's it! Genis, you're a genius!"

Everyone turned to him as Lloyd pulled the balloon back out.

"I've got it! I know how to pop the balloon!"

He focused as he began forcing his mana to whip around inside it, watching the balloon morph hideously before it exploded in a shower of water.

"I did it! YES!"

Colette smiled and held her hands together.

"Wow, you're so cool, Lloyd!"

Naruto laughed softly as he placed a hand on Lloyd's shoulder and smiled.

"Well done."

Lloyd smiled brightly.

"Pretty cool huh?"

Genis just snorted good naturedly.

"I bet Naruto didn't take that long to figure that out."

Naruto shook his head.

"Lloyd figured it out quicker than I did. Not only that, he did it with one hand. When I was learning it and for nearly 3 years after I learnt it, I needed my right hand and the two hands of a clone to use it. Nicely done, Lloyd."

Nearly everyone's jaws dropped at Naruto's praise.

"I figured it out faster and better than Naruto? Wow…"

Naruto nodded.

"Don't let it go to your head, Lloyd. What you have now is nothing more than a party trick. The first step involved rotation, however, the second step requires power. Lot's of it."

Naruto pulled out a rubber ball and threw it to Lloyd.

"This is the next step; part 2 of 3, or for people like us, 2 of 5. There is no water inside that ball, so it's much harder to feel your mana moving around. Now, for this step, you must use everything you learnt in the first step and then amplify the power output to your maximum."

Lloyd nodded slowly.

"So, what do I have to do with this then?"

Naruto pulled another one out of his pocket and held it up.

"This."

The ball morphed hideously and then exploded, the last wisps of mana trailing away.

"You've got to make it burst. And not just put a hole in it, but shred it to pieces. This step's level of difficulty is about 100 times as much as the first step was. Unfortunately, you can't do this while walking because of the level of concentration it requires. We'll stop at the House of Salvation for a short break and you can try it there to see what I mean. Again, I won't tell you how to do it and I will only give you one pointer for this step. When you feel like you need to ask me, do so."

Lloyd nodded as Naruto turned around and faced the East.

"The Seal is in the Balacruf Mausoleum to the East, according to the Scripture of Spiritua. After a short break at the House of Salvation, we should head there."

All of them nodded as they kept walking while Lloyd looked down at the rubber ball in his hand.

"100 times harder than the last step?"

He pocketed the ball and quickly caught up with the others and within an hour, reached the House of Salvation.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Balacraf Mausoleum:**

The group finished their detour around the forest and reached the front of the structure. Raine nodded as she recited the part of the map she had decoded.

"'Climb the central stairs and place the map upon the altar.'"

Colette nodded.

"Yes Professor."

The group walked up the stairs and looked at the small altar there. As Naruto stepped onto a stone, the top of the altar opened.

"It opened!"

Raine nodded.

"It seems to be responding to the Map of Balacruf."

Naruto shook his head.

"Not really. Look."

He took his foot off the slab and the slot closed again, making him smile.

"Sorry to burst your bubble like that."

Raine shook her head in disbelief.

"Please step on it again, Naruto."

Naruto did so and the stone slabs opened as Raine carefully slid the map into the slot. She stood back as an Oracle Stone appeared right beside her. Naruto smirked as the usual excitement that came with finding another seal set in.

"It's an Oracle Stone!"

Naruto smirked as Colette walked up to it when Naruto stopped her.

"Colette, I want to make sure of something… I'm going to place my hand over yours when you touch the stone, ok? I have a suspicion…."

Colette nodded as Naruto gently took her hand and placed it on the Oracle stone. However, nothing happened as they took it off and Naruto smiled.

"I thought that was how the Oracle Stones worked…"

"Huh? What do you mean how they work?"

"Did you figure out the method used to tell the Chosen from everyone else, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. The Oracle Stone has something called a DNA reader in it."

"DNA… Reader?"

Naruto nodded.

"Every single living thing has something called DNA inside it. It's very, very small. You can't see it with your eyes. Each person's DNA is unique to them. Your DNA is kind of like your blueprint. It tells your body exactly how you're going to be. For example, Lloyd's DNA tells his body that he must have brown hair and that he must be a male. I seem to remember my team mate saying that you could even tell what Lloyd enjoys from his DNA if you were good enough. You can even tell who someone's parents were if you have their and their parent's DNA. That's why the Oracle Stone only works for the Chosen, because it's reading her DNA."

Genis tried to pick his jaw off the floor.

"Wow, you sure know a lot of stuff, Naruto… You're pretty smart!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.

"No, not really…"

Raine nodded slowly.

"If that's true, then that would explain a fair amount about the Oracle Stones… What amazing technology…"

Naruto nodded as he turned to Colette.

"Try it again."

She nodded and placed her hand on it and the door to the crypt opened up.

"Wow, Naruto was right! It really did read her DBA!"

All of them apart from Colette looked at Lloyd in a deadpanned manner.

"It's DNA, Lloyd…"

"Who cares, it's still cool!"

Kratos just shook his head as they walked inside. Lloyd smiled as he looked around.

"Wow, this is pretty cool! I feel like an explorer!"

Naruto smiled as he stepped up next to Lloyd.

"To an extent, we are. No one's been in here for quite some time…"

Raine nodded.

"That's correct. The last person said to have come in here was Cleo the Third when he sought out Sylph to help him with the calamity."

"Wow!"

Naruto and Colette looked around.

"There's a lot of wind inside here…. I can hear the currents…"

Colette nodded.

"I can hear them too…"

Kratos nodded.

"We had best get moving."

They walked further into the ruins and met with a T-Intersection. They could feel a heavy breeze in their hair coming from their left. They could see barely anything as Lloyd looked to Naruto.

"Can't you use some sort of fire spell to light the area up, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Lloyd, which direction is the wind coming from?"

Lloyd pointed to their left.

"That way. Why?"

"What do you think would happen if I blew a ball of fire down that way?"

Lloyd immediately saw what Naruto was getting at.

"It'll burn us…"

Naruto nodded and turned to their right.

"Exactly, so we blow one this way!"

Naruto quickly formed several hand seals and blew a moderately sized ball of fire down the hall way as it lit up the area for nearly 5 seconds before they were cast back into darkness. Without turning around, Naruto looked over his shoulder.

"Did you see anything, Kratos?"

He nodded.

"Yes. There are many pathways branching off to the right in this direction. What about your end?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Nothing, just a small room about 30 meters from here."

Kratos nodded.

"We seem to be very close to the bottom right hand corner of the ruins when looking from above…"

Naruto nodded.

"The Seal would likely be at the very top in the middle."

Kratos nodded as they looked up into the darkness above their heads. Naruto smiled and created four Kage Bunshins.

"I need you four to go and do a quick scout of the area. If you get caught in any traps, dispel immediately. Go."

All of them nodded and walked passed the group, carefully looking around the corner before two took that path. Almost immediately, there was the sound of grating metal being slammed together. None of the clones had been dispelled as they came back around the corner looking somewhat shocked as one of them spoke.

"Um… There are giant plates of spikes on proximity sensing that come out from both walls down here…"

Naruto nodded.

"Ok. Be careful."

The clones nodded and quickly jumped over the wall before looking around, one of them pointing northwards.

"That door there."

The other nodded as they vanished. Moments later, one of the clone's memories entered his mind and he nodded.

"Found the entrance. It's not far from here."

They nodded as Naruto led them towards the first passage and shrugged.

"This would be a good time train on your wall walking. Genis, Lloyd, go for it. There are too many traps here to walk through it."

Raine turned to Naruto.

"And what about those of us who haven't learnt how to do that yet?"

Naruto smiled and picked Raine up bridal style, much to her shock as he jumped up and landed there, setting her down again.

"Free ride."

Raine chuckled sheepishly as Naruto jumped back down, taking Colette back up and then smiling at Kratos.

"Come on, just lean on my shoulder."

Kratos smirked and nodded, placing his arm around Naruto's shoulder as Naruto ran up the wall and onto the platform the others were waiting on. They looked over the area and saw a clone waving to them and pointing to a massive stone door. The group made their way towards him, stopping only to dispatch a gargoyle that had come to life and then seeing there were two other extending spiked walls. Naruto shrugged.

"We should probably go over them unless you want to time it and run passed them."

Kratos watched the two spiked walls carefully.

"It would be easiest to run through."

Naruto nodded as they got ready and as soon as the wall had shot out and began sinking back into the wall again, ran passed it, waiting for a moment and then passing the second one. Seeing two torches next to the door, Naruto blew two small fireballs into them as the door clicked and opened. They were about to walk inside when Naruto stopped and turned around as the two other clones dispelled themselves and the third jumped down to the ledge below and almost immediately dispelled himself. Naruto fully turned around and beckoned the group back.

"There's one of those groups of rings just bellow us."

They nodded and followed Naruto down a set of stairs as he walked under them to reveal the groups of floating rings. Lloyd nodded and stepped forward, placing his hand in it and watching the red jewel in the Sorcerer's Ring change to a soft wind green colour. He pulled it out and fired it, watching in more than a little dissatisfaction as a small jet of wind was ejected from it.

"That seems kinda lame…"

Naruto shrugged.

"We'll probably find a use for it in the next room."

Lloyd nodded as they walked back up the stairs and into the next room.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Just Outside the Balacruf Mausoleum:**

Sheena peeked out from behind her hiding place to see Lloyd pet standing guard.

"I need to stop the Chosen… My people will suffer if she isn't!"

Sheena charged out and tired to slip passed Noishe who stood his ground and glared at her, growling. Sheena's eyes narrowed as she clicked her fingers with her left hand.

"Corrine!"

There was a small puff of smoke next to her as a small, golden fox with three cyan blue tails appeared next to her.

"Yes, Sheena?"

"Can you distract this thing for me? I need to stop the Chosen."

Corrine nodded.

"Sure thing."

Noishe saw Corrine approach him, and despite his massive size advantage over the fox, he stepped back as Corrine corned him enough to let Sheena passed.

"Thanks, Corrine!"

"No worries!"

Sheena charged inside as Corrine disappeared. Noishe blinked several times before deciding to lay down and sleep.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Back with the Others:**

They looked around the room to see that almost the entire room, walls, floor and ceiling were covered in writing and pictures of various kinds. However, the walls were so badly chipped, cracked and decayed they couldn't make anything out. What was more interesting was the five pedestals in the middle of the room. On each pedestal was a fan of a different colour. Four of them faced inwards to the middle one, a much larger blue fan. Naruto thought about it for a moment and nodded.

"A puzzle obviously… Lloyd, could you please use the Sorcerer's Ring on a fan?"

Lloyd nodded and walked forward, using it on the closest fan to them, the silver fan and watched as it began spinning. However, it did not stop spinning, but continued to rotate.

"Hmmm… I suppose we'll have to work out which one opens the door to the seal…"

Naruto got an idea and smiled.

"Lloyd, could I borrow the Sorcerer's Ring? I can try creating some Kage Bunshin. It'll save us having to run around in circles trying to figure this out."

Kratos nodded.

"A wise idea."

Lloyd nodded and slipped the ring off, handing it to Naruto who put it on and formed several Kage Bunshin, each having their own Sorcerer's Ring. They all tested it and noticed it worked before they each stood in front of a different fan. One by one, they turned their fans on, but nothing happened. Shrugging, they fired their Sorcerer's Rings again and turned them off before trying a different order. Eventually, the wall to their left collapsed to reveal a chest. Naruto looked to Kratos and nodded whose hand went to his sword as he approached the hole in the wall, nothing there was nothing but an unsealed box there. He pushed it open with his toe and pulled out a small ribbon, which he pocketed and came back into the room.

"Nothing but a box with a ribbon inside."

Naruto nodded as they tried again, and the right wall cracked open to reveal another chest. Naruto nodded to Lloyd and Genis, who walked over and saw nothing but another unsealed box. Lloyd pushed it open with his sword and pulled out a small Gem, which he brought back. They tried again and eventually heard a click and the massive stone door at the end of the room groaned open to reveal sunlight. All of them squinted at it, not used to the light.

"That's it. Let's go."

They nodded as the clones dispelled and Naruto handed the ring back to Lloyd before they walked up to the top. As they got outside, their eyes widened at what they saw.

"Wow, what a thick fog…"

Naruto nodded.

"I don't like its colour… It's giving me a bad feeling…"

Kratos nodded in agreement.

"Fog of this colour is usually associated with ill tidings."

Naruto's head whipped towards the seal as it hissed.

"I can feel a lot of wind mana coming from the seal…"

Sure enough, all of the fog was sucked into the seal and it exploded outward. Al of them fell backwards in surprise as they got their first look of the guardian. It was a frighteningly graceful looking bird creature that was shaped almost like a human besides its wings, beak, claws and tail. It had the presence and gaze of a very powerful wind creature, but it's nearly shadowy purple skin and aura gave a very different impression; that it was only a shadow of its former self. Naruto took a step back as he realised exactly what it was.

"Im… Impossible! That is… Or was, Quetzalcoatl!"

All of them looked at Naruto in shock as the being charged them.

"The most vicious god of them all and a master of lightning and wind… I never thought I would see it…"

Naruto remembered the small viewing glass he had picked up and pulled it out, looking through it at the being as it began charging a spell. The glass opened and Naruto looked at the information being displayed, including its estimated health as a number, strength, elemental affinity, and suggested counter element before the glass shattered in his hands. He nodded.

"Same battle plan as normal! Let's go!"

Everyone nodded as Genis and Raine stepped back and began casting spells while Lloyd, Kratos and Naruto ran forward to intercept the creature. Colette stayed where she was and brought her wings out, beginning to chant a spell. The seal's guardian looked down at Naruto, Lloyd and Kratos before flapping it's wings while it continued casting, sending a shower of it's feathers screaming towards the trio who jumped out of the way as they smashed into the stone floor and bounced away, leaving small craters at their point of impact. Naruto's eyes widened as it finished casting it's spell on Colette, forming a massive ball of wind that began ripping into her clothing, making her cry out in pain. Lloyd got up and watched her being severely cut.

"COLETTE!"

Naruto jumped up and brought his lance down, stabbing the creature in the back of the neck, making it squawk in pain and cancel the spell.

"Lloyd! Let Raine heal Colette! Focus on this thing!"

Lloyd nodded and turned around as he imbued his weapon with his mana and began stabbing at its thighs viciously.

"Sonic Sword Rain!"

Lloyd finished off with a mighty thrust that knocked the creature back as Raine finished her spell.

"First Aid!"

Colette's wounds began closing and she was quickly restored to full health as she nodded in thanks.

"Thank you, Professor."

Raine nodded as she began casting another spell while Kratos slashed and hacked at the creatures wings, trying to ground it when Genis finished his spell.

"Take this! Lightning!"

A bolt of lightning shot down from the clouds and hit the creature's wings, making it howl in pain as they began smoking. Naruto pulled his lance back out and kicked it to the head, sending it sprawling before jumping back. He looked at Kratos and Lloyd and nodded as the now very abused and angry bird got back up and glared at them as it began charging another spell, all three of them running forward.

"We're not going to let you!"

"Let's go!"

Naruto slashed the beast once with his lance, halting it's casting before Kratos imbued his sword with mana and jumped up, circling around and slashing it several times.

"Light Spear!"

Genis finished his spell and cast it.

"Eruption!"

The floor beneath the creature opened up and spewed fiery hot mana out of it, burning the creature. Colette finished her spell as well.

"Angel Feathers!"

Several of Colette's mana feathers shot off and formed rings of purple light before flying straight at the creature and slamming into it's body, biting deep into the flesh as it screamed in pain. Raine finished her spell as well.

"Photon!"

A sphere of light formed around the creature and exploded outwards as Lloyd smiled.

"Let's do this, Genis!"

Genis nodded and focused his mana around Lloyd's blades watching them burst into flames as Naruto nodded to Kratos.

"Let's go!"

Both Naruto and Lloyd charged at the creature and focused their mana around their weapons.

"CROSS THRUST!"

Both of them vanished and impaled the creature with their weapons as Lloyd began his own attack as they jumped back. Lloyd cut it with both swords, shoulder rammed it and then jumped up, flipping over as he brought his shoulder to bear.

"Fiery Beast!"

The area around the creature exploded into fire, instantly vaporising it. As the smoke cleared, they looked at the extensive damage the explosion had caused to the surface as Lloyd stood up and smiled. Naruto whistled appreciatively at the scene.

"Wow, not bad… Remind me not to piss you off, Lloyd…"

Kratos sweat dropped.

"That was quite extensive…"

The group looked over the crater, finding several items of interest as well as a rather large amount of Gald, which they pocketed. The seal hissed and opened, sucking mana in as it did so. Naruto could have sworn he saw a small, flying creature for a brief moment, but when he blinked, it was no longer there. The seal closed again and the sky opened up as a voice floated down to them.

"You have done well, Chosen of Regeneration… Few could have tamed the winds' fury. Now, offer your prayers at the altar."

Colette nodded and stepped forward.

"Yes."

Colette stood in front of the seal and closed her eyes, placing her hands together.

"Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me your strength!"

Colette's wings appeared as she rose slightly while a ball of golden mana appeared and burst into a cloud of golden angel feathers to reveal Remiel.

"This is the third seal. You have done well in reaching this far, Chosen One… Colette!"

Colette nodded appreciatively.

"Thank you."

"Receive this blessing, the gift of Angelic Power from Cruxis."

Colette swallowed and nodded.

"Y… Yes Father… Thank you."

Four balls of mana floated down from the sky and entered Colette's body which flashed green for a brief moment before Remiel nodded.

"The next seal lies far to the northwest, in a place that gazes upon the centre of the world. Offer your prayers at that altar in that distant land."

Colette nodded slowly.

"I shall do as you say, Lord Remiel."

Remiel nodded and smiled slightly.

"I shall be waiting for you at the next seal, Colette… My daughter."

With that, Remiel turned into a ball of golden light again and shot up into the heavens, his voice trailing behind.

"_Your journey is almost complete… Hurry and become a true angel. Do not disappoint me…"_

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Is it just me, or did Remiel seem somewhat… excited?"

Raine nodded.

"He did seem somewhat rushed compared to the other times we've met him…"

The group turned around and began walking back down the staircase into the darkness again.

"So, the next seal is in a tower or a mountain or some place with a high altitude…"

Kratos nodded.

"Remiel might be referring to the Tower of Mana."

Naruto looked at Kratos quizzically as they came back into the original room with the traps and noticed they had all stopped.

"Tower of Mana? Could that be the same place the Scripture of Spiritua was referring to when I read it?"

Kratos nodded slightly as he tapped the hilt of his sword in thought.

"It's quite possible. I have only heard of the Tower of Mana, but we now have a rough direction to head in."

Raine nodded.

"Northeast, Remiel said…"

They approached the entrance when Naruto stopped and his eyes narrowed.

"I know you're there, Sheena, come out."

The group turned and saw Sheena slowly walk out of her hiding place.

"You never let your guard down, do you Naruto?"

Naruto looked over his shoulder at her.

"Never. I cannot afford to."

Sheena smirked at him before looking at Colette.

"Sorry, but I need you to die."

She went into action as Naruto deactivated his chakra weights and charged in, meeting Sheena's card with a kunai.

"You don't get it, do you?"

Sheena glared at Naruto as both of them vanished and crossed weapons again, vanishing again and appearing right in the middle of the group as Naruto put his hand onto the back of the blade and began pushing with both hands, cutting deeply into his hand, making Sheena's eyes widen as he forced her down, jumping back at the last minute.

"Not, it's you who doesn't get it! Everybody's counting on me! I won't lose!"

Both of them charged in again and met weapons, grunting and flashing out of existence, then back, trading blows as everyone else watching in amazement.

"W… Wow… They're both really good…"

Sheena jumped back and pulled out another card, throwing it to the ground as it exploded into smoke, summoning another one of her guardians. Naruto smiled, biting his thumb and flashing through the hand seals before he slammed his palm onto the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

The smoke cleared to reveal a green frog with a silver stomach that had a pipe in its mouth and a Tsurugi by its hip. It was only slightly taller than Naruto as it raised it's hand in greeting.

"You rang?"

Naruto smiled.

"Let's roll."

"Sure thing, boss."

"Gimme some oil."

The frog smiled as its cheeks puffed up, and Sheena's eyes widened when she realised where she was; in the middle of an alley. Naruto jumped on its back and formed three hand seals.

"Katon; Gamayu Endan!"

Naruto breathed the ball of fire out and it hit the oil and exploded outwards, incinerating nearly everything in its path, much to the shock of everyone present.

"I think that's what we call overkill…"

The frog's eyes narrowed as it pulled out its Tsurugi and turned around, meeting Sheena's summoned minion's claws as Naruto hopped off when Sheena threw two kunai straight at him forming a Kage bunshin and pulling himself aside to avoid two more and then charged in, locking blades as the two summoned creatures struggled. Both of them pushed back as they glared at each other, smiling. Naruto's grin morphed into a smile as he looked at her.

"You're holding back."

Sheena glared at him.

"And you're not?"

Naruto laughed softly as he twirled both kunai around on his fingers.

"Guilty as charged."

Both of them met again in the middle as Naruto tried to sweep her feet out from under her, copping a boot to the head for his troubles as he flipped over, just managing to recover before he saw Sheena cry out from overhead and try to plunge two kunai into his back. He waited for the last moment and disappeared, grabbing her arms as he reappeared in front of her, twisting her around and kicking her to the ground where she landed and rolled. Both summons were still struggling as Naruto landed lightly on the ground and saw hi chance, charging in and slapping an explosive seal onto its back. The frog saw what Naruto was trying to do and leapt back as Naruto activated the seal, making it explode and sending the creature to the ground where it vanished in a puff of smoke. Sheena's eyes widened as Naruto charged her and landed a quick triple kick to her chest and stomach before kicking her away, where she landed on the ground and shivered as she stared at Naruto.

"I didn't think you'd be this good…"

Naruto smiled as he slowly walked up to her.

"Well, now you know. So, feel like telling me why your people are related to the Chosen yet?"

She snorted and pulled two smoke bombs out of her sash and hurled them at the ground.

"Unlikely."

When the smoke cleared, she was gone. Naruto shrugged and turned around nodding to the frog who vanished and walked back to the group.

"We'll find out eventually."

They walked out the dor as Naruto kept a very careful eye on Colette as she started swaying and quickly grabbed her as she collapsed.

"Dammit, not again…"

"It's the Angel Toxicosis again… Let's hurry and let her rest…"

They nodded and quickly set up camp, trying to help Colette in any way they could.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**That Night:**

Naruto looked over the camp as Genis and Raine slept quietly next to the fire. Kratos kept a steady gaze as he watched for anyone who might mean them harm. Lloyd sat by Naruto whose eyes were narrowed in thought. Colette was looking out over the plains from just above the camp as Naruto stood up.

"I'll be back in a moment, Lloyd."

Lloyd nodded as Naruto collected two cups and poured some of the water into them.

"There's something I need to test."

Lloyd nodded as Naruto took the cups over to Colette.

"Colette, you really need to rest."

She smiled and looked at Naruto as he stood next to her.

"I'm ok, Naruto."

Naruto just sighed.

"The fact that the solider pills aren't having much effect is worrying me…. I've crushed one up and put a bit of honey into some water with them as well as heated it up. Please try and drink it."

Colette nodded as she took the cup from Naruto and took a sip.

"Not too hot?"

She shook her head.

"It's perfect."

Naruto's eyebrow rose.

"Perfect? Like as in frigid cold perfect? I didn't heat the water up."

Colette's eyes widened as she looked at Naruto in shock before smiling.

"Oh, yeah, I like it cold."

Naruto looked at Colette in a very nonplussed manner.

"How could I mix the honey into it if it was cold?"

Colette dropped the cup in shock and spilt the water as Naruto growled and turned away as he clenched his fist.

"I knew it. Colette, how long has this been going on? Don't you dare lie to me! How long have you been going through sensory deprivation? What has happened to you?!"

Everyone turned to Naruto as he turned back to Colette.

"What does Remiel mean when he said 'become a true angel'? Does he mean to lose the ability to eat, sleep and feel? What's next? The ability to talk? The ability to think? I see now... Becoming an Angel means sacrificing what makes you imperfect; your humanity. You don't even need the solider pills. Colette, my mission is to protect you. This puts a very different angle on it. I need to know these things, Colette. How can I protect you from others if I can't protect you from yourself?"

Naruto took a shuddering breath in and looking at Colette as he gathered his calm.

"Sorry for shouting, but this is not the sort of thing you can afford to hide, Colette."

Raine sighed and shook her head.

"I had a feeling you would be the first to put two and two together, Naruto. Yes, to become an angel, Colette must sacrifice her humanity. It's a necessary part of the world regeneration."

Naruto nodded slowly.

"I see…"

Lloyd nodded slowly.

"I knew things didn't add up… I was about to do something similar, Naruto."

Naruto nodded as Colette looked at the ground.

"I'm sorry to worry you like this…"

Naruto just sighed in exasperation.

"Colette, you worry me more by not telling me than actually telling me. If we get into a battle and you fall over dead and there's a way to save you but you haven't told me, I'll never forgive myself. You need to tell me these things, ok? Just because you're the Chosen doesn't mean you have to bear the burden by yourself. That's what we're here for."

Colette smiled slightly and nodded.

"Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto turned around and gathered her into his arms and squeezed his eyes shut.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry for not noticing earlier…"

With that, Naruto let her go and turned around.

"We'd best get some sleep… It's been a long day…"

Everyone nodded as Naruto slumped onto the ground, his face holding a tired, haunted look that showed he meant it. Naruto looked up at Kratos.

"Sorry to ask, Kratos, but-"

"Its fine, Naruto. Get some sleep. I'll keep guard."

Naruto nodded.

"Thanks."

With that, Naruto leaned back and was almost instantly asleep, the others followed suit.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning:**

The group was up early, eating some of the supply of fresh foods they had sealed before breaking camp and leaving. Naruto kept a very close eye on Colette the entire time as they returned to the House of Salvation. Naruto sat down and looked at Lloyd.

"Even given the mood, Lloyd, you should keep training with the Rasengan."

Lloyd nodded slowly and pulled the rubber ball out and continued training while the others prepared a quick morning meal. Lloyd grunted in frustration and sat down to eat with the others. Naruto sighed and looked to the north, or more specifically, the lack of traffic using the north road. Kratos looked out and his eyes narrowed.

"You getting that feeling to, Kratos?"

"Yes. The lack of traffic from the north is worrying…"

Lloyd looked at both of them in confusion.

"Why would traffic matter?"

Naruto looked back to the south and the west before staring north again.

"According to locals, the next town to the north is Luin. It's supposed to be a major trading hub because of its location… Why is there such little traffic coming from that direction?"

They quickly finished their food and set off again, travelling northwards along the road. As they got closer, they realised why. There was billowing black smoke rising from one specific spot. Naruto cursed.

"Dammit!"

"It's on fire…"

All of them began running towards the town, seeing that the smoke was rising from small ember fires. Whatever had happened here, they were far too late to stop it. Naruto ran across the bridge and looking in horror at the sight. Bodies were strewn everywhere, blood splattered across the walls of the broken and charred buildings. Not a single sign of life. Naruto collapsed to his knees and held his head in his hands. Even Kratos' eyes widened in disbelief at the level of desecration and destruction.

"This is… Not even it could do something like this…"

"This is appalling… I did not think humans were capable of such desecration…"

Colette turned away and began crying while Lloyd just shook his head. Genis began turning ghost white as he moved to the side and couldn't help but lose his stomach contents. Naruto shook his head.

"We need to search for survivors. That's the only thing we can do… Stick together, they might still be around…"

All of them nodded as they left, looking around, seeing that there was no one left alive. Just as they left the main part of the trade district, there was a shattering sound behind them and they turned to see a building collapse in a plume of ash and sawdust, its foundations no longer able to support it. They continued searching, the administration second was even worse hit than the trade section. Not even the Church of Martel had been spared, ransacked and nearly demolished. They walked over to the fountain and their eyes immediately caught sight of a female lying in a crater, still barely alive. Naruto immediately realised who it was.

"Sheena!"

They charged over and knelt down, seeing Sheena covered in gashed and soot marks. She was bleeding heavily.

"Sheena, what happened here?"

She looked up at Naruto in obvious pain.

"I got the feeling… You would find me… The Desians… Destroyed… Luin…"

Naruto gritted his teeth as he went through several hand seals and formed some healing mana around his hands, quickly closing her biggest wound.

"What are you… Doing? I've lost… Finish me…"

Naruto shook his head and continued healing her.

"Never kick someone when they're down. Even from a cold, logical perspective, we need you alive to find out why the Desians attacked."

Sheena smiled and gritted her teeth as a surge of pain washed over her body.

"You're… Really unusual… Naruto…"

Naruto smirked slightly as he went to begin closing another wound.

"I'd like to think I am. Here, eat this. It's a soldier pill."

Sheen looked at Naruto's hand to see a small brown pill. She turned her head away.

"Why should I trust you? It could be a suicide pill…"

Colette shook her head.

"I've been eating those all the time. They're the only things I can keep down. It'll replenish your mana and keep your strength up."

Naruto nodded and pulled out another, similar pill.

"This is a blood replenishment pill. My team mate is a medic; she made this for me herself."

Sheena nodded slightly as Naruto slipped them between her lips as she bit lightly on them and swallowed.

"Thank you, Naruto…"

Naruto shook his head and began closing the last of the wounds.

"You're welcome, Sheena."

Within several minutes, Sheena was well enough to sit up.

"Sheena, why did the Desians attack? This is supposed to be a neutral trading town, where everyone is welcome…"

Sheena nodded slowly.

"It was… But the Desians found out that Luin was hiding someone who had escaped from the Desian Ranch…"

Naruto just shook his head and sighed.

"There's a Desian Ranch around here?"

Sheena nodded.

"To the northeast. It's called the Asgard Ranch."

Naruto nodded slowly.

"What happened to everyone?"

Sheena just shook her head.

"They were either killed or taken to the ranch…"

Naruto nodded as he heard shouting from nearby.

"Ah! Help me! Please!"

They turned to see a man trying desperately to drag himself towards them with a giant monster behind him. Naruto instantly realised who it was.

"That's Dorr's wife!"

Naruto immediately charged in and gathered the man up just as Clara was about to slam her fist down on him and jumped back just in time to avoid being hit. The man nodded gratefully as Naruto put him down.

"Thank you…"

"No problem. Just get back."

He nodded and pushed himself up against the wall of the fountain just as Sheena got up and charged Clara, only to be slammed back against the wall. Colette brought out her wings and floated in front of Clara.

"Clara, please stop."

Clara stopped for a moment before slamming Colette out of the way. At the point of impact, there was a bright flash and Clara disappeared. Naruto immediately went over to Colette and checked her over.

"Nothing to seriously it seems…"

Sheena slumped forward and coughed up a hunk of blood, making Naruto switch back to her. He shook his head.

"This is beyond anything I can heal. Raine, I need you to heal her."

She just sighed and knelt down next to Naruto.

"Fine, but I swear you're too soft hearted for your own good, Naruto."

"There's a difference between being a peace preaching idealist and someone who cares about saving lives, Raine. A life is a life, no matter whether it's an enemy's or an ally's, it's still a life. The only people who don't think that are the Desians. Would you rather me become one of them? Someone who is capable of slaughtering people mercilessly in the most sadistic of fashions?"

Raine's eyes widened as she looked at Naruto and shook her head.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that…"

Naruto nodded as Raine began healing Sheena quickly. Sheena stood back up.

"Thanks for saving me… I know it's a really selfish, unreasonable thing to ask at this point, but I have a favour to ask of you…"

Naruto looked at Sheena questioningly.

"A favour?"

She nodded.

"I owe the people of this town for food and lodging… If it's not too much to ask, could you help me get them back? If you agree, I'll declare a truce and help in any way I can."

Naruto crossed his arms and smiled as he closed his eyes.

"And if I said no because we were going to free them anyway?"

Sheena smirked as Naruto looked at her and smiled.

"Sure thing. Although the choice is ultimately up to Colette."

Colette nodded and smiled.

"I'd like that."

Naruto nodded and extended his hand.

"It's official then. Welcome to the group."

Sheena smiled and took it as they shook hands. Naruto sighed and checked on the man they had saved, noticing he was a pastor of the Church of Martel. He leant down to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's too dangerous for you to stay here. It's half a days' travel to the nearest House of Salvation. I can summon a frog to take you there."

The man nodded slowly.

"I would be very grateful…"

Naruto bit his thumb and formed the hand seals before placing his palm on the ground. The puff of smoke cleared to reveal a frog with a basket on his back. He looked at the frog.

"I need you to take this man to the House of Salvation half a days' travel south of here."

The frog nodded and gently grabbed the man, placing him into the basket as it hopped off towards the House of Salvation, leaving the group to decide on their course of action. Naruto turned back to the group and sighed.

"The best thing to do for now would be to scout the Ranch for information."

Kratos nodded.

"I concur."

With that, all of them set off towards the direction Sheena had said the ranch was in, leaving the smoking city behind.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** Wow, I really can pull out a chapter when I feel like it… Oh well, hope everyone enjoyed it. No promises on when the next chapter comes out. Leave a review. Take care everyone.

Synica/Specula.


	10. Grand Cardinal Kvar and the Truth

**A/N:** Alrighty, I managed to get this one out using about half a weekend to do so because of the lack of anything better to do. Again, no real notes to put here except this:

**Sirens begin blazing and a massive booming voice echoes:**

"Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!"

Major Bombshell and story plot spoiler for those of you who care in this chapter. That's all the warning you're getting if you don't want the storyline spoilt.

And now, the next chapter of Two Worlds, Two Ninja;

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU/SPELL..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Two Worlds, Two Ninja:

Chapter Nine:

Grand Cardinal Kvar and the Truth:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Outside Luin:**

The group followed Sheena to the ranch and reached it within 2 hours and they got the first look at the security. Needless to say, it was impossible to get any closer without being spotted.

"The security here is intense… It's completely different to the Palmacosta Ranch!"

Naruto nodded.

"After the events that unfolded at Palmacosta, I thought this might happen…"

Kratos nodded.

"Destroying a ranch would send a very clear signal to the other Grand Cardinals."

Sheena's eyes widened.

"You guys were the ones who blew Palmacosta Ranch up?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah."

Sheena shook her head as Naruto smirked.

"Apparently, Magnius' favourite colour is pink."

Sheena had to hold her hand to her mouth to stop herself from bursting into laughter.

"A tough guy like Magnius' favourite colour is pink?"

Naruto shrugged.

"That was the password for the self destruct sequence and the hint was 'What's my favourite colour? Hint; add white to my hair colour.'"

All of them shared a quiet giggle at Magnius' expense as they looked over the ranch.

"Still ,even if we somehow could sneak inside…"

Raine shook her head.

"No, there's a way."

Naruto and Lloyd nodded.

"Are you two thinking the same thing I am?"

Naruto smirked.

"Probably."

"We disguise ourselves as Desians and get in."

Naruto nodded as Raine smiled at Lloyd.

"It seems the gears in your head turn more quickly at times like this…"

Lloyd looked at the professor in confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Naruto smirked.

"It means Lloyd has the ability to strategise on the spot; a highly prized commodity for an officer of an army who is leading his fighters into battle."

Kratos nodded as Naruto smirked and looked at Lloyd.

"The similarities between you and me when I was your age are unnerving, Lloyd."

Sheena looked between Naruto and Lloyd in confusion.

"Him? Like you? You've got to be kidding me…"

Naruto shrugged.

"We grew up in pretty similar circumstances as well. Anyway, there's a Desian Patrol coming. We need to make this as short as possible. Try not to inflict any fatal injuries on them and do as little damage to subdue them as possible. Try not to damage their gear."

All of them nodded and waited behind the rock as the Desian Patrol walked passed. When they were at their closest, the group jumped out and slammed them with his fist, making one of them cough and fall unconscious while the others quickly took out the other ones. Naruto nodded and they dragged the bodies back to a safe place and stripped the Desians. Soon after, an object on one of their belts began buzzing and a voice came over it.

"Patrol number 4, your time to report your activity has passed. Where are you?"

Naruto held a finger up to his lips and everyone nodded as Naruto picked it up and pressed the button, imitating light hyperventilation.

"Sorry, but we encountered the wanted criminals, Lloyd Irving and Genis Sage. They nearly took us out, but we've managed to capture them and a few more of their cohorts. We needed to rest up after the battle."

"Are you sure it's them?"

"No doubt about it. We'll report back to base A.S.A.P. with them."

"Excellent. Grand Cardinal Kvar will be pleased. Good work."

The transmission ended and Naruto sighed in relief and smiled.

"If we pull this off right, we'll have a one way free ride right to the Grand Cardinal."

Kratos nodded.

"Expertly handled, Naruto. Now however, we need to make sure that Lloyd and Genis are cuffed, as well as several others. Naruto nodded as he looked over the captured suits and nodded.

"I can copy these with my transformation. I have to be one of the Desians, as I answered the message. There is only one male and female outfit that are still usable… Raine, perhaps you should take the female one. Kratos, you should take the male one."

Both of them nodded as Naruto turned to Sheena.

"You're still wanted by 'Kvar' so 'capturing' you will make our infiltration easier."

Sheena nodded as Naruto placed his hands into a ram seal and transformed into the one he had pulled the communication device off. Kratos and Raine took an outfit each and quickly got dressed. The others pilfered the other guard's uniforms for anything usable and took their cuffs off them. Naruto, Kratos and Raine began cuffing Lloyd, Colette, Genis and Sheena and then nodded.

"Excellent. Let's head back to the ranch."

Naruto took one last look at the man's name he had transformed into and the rank that the badge on his left breast indicated before they set off. It was nightfall when they returned. One of the guards at the gate saw them and nodded to his companion as they came forward.

"We were told to expect you and some prisoners."

Naruto nodded, noticing they were of equal rank to him.

"Yeah, we finally caught the wanted criminals Lloyd Irving, Genis Sage and Sheena Fujibayashi. Mind letting me in? I want to turn them over to Grand Cardinal Kvar myself."

They smirked and laughed as they nodded.

"Sure thing. Put in a good word for us, will ya?"

Naruto nodded, smiling slightly.

"Sure thing."

One guard pulled his communication device from his belt and clicked the button.

"The patrol that has captured the wanted criminals has returned. Open the gate."

The gate opened and Naruto nodded.

"Take care, you two."

"You too. Grand Cardinal Kvar will be happy."

Naruto nodded.

"I bet he will be."

With that, the group walked inside the base and straight through the main entrance, looking at all of the prisoners in the cages and then noticing that all of the Desians watched him in awe. He heard many whispers of 'wow, he captured Lloyd…' and 'he'll get a promotion for sure…' and the like. They quickly walked into the base and one of the slightly higher ranking people came up to them as Kratos, Naruto and Raine saluted.

"Good work, you three. Kvar has given me orders to come and tell you to register the host body in the control room yourselves. I trust you know how to do it?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yes Sir."

The man nodded.

"Excellent. Kvar has also asked me to send you three to him once you are done. He wishes to speak to you personally."

Naruto nodded and saluted again as the officer walked off and attended to his duties while Naruto led the others through the door and into the control room. Once the door closed and they realised they were alone, Naruto smirked.

"Mission complete."

They ditched their gear and unlocked the bindings on their 'prisoners'. Naruto took a look out the window and glared.

"What is that?"

Everyone else came over as Raine's eyes narrowed at the conveyer belt with many tools working on hexagonal prisms that rolled down the belt.

"This seems to be an Exsphere manufacturing plant…"

Kratos nodded.

"So it would seem…"

Lloyd's eyes widened as he smiled.

"Wow, these are all Exspheres? Incredible…"

Sheena nodded.

"Yeah, there's an awful lot of them…"

Colette looked towards the door next to them.

"Shh, I hear voices coming from the next room…"

Naruto closed his eyes as did Sheena and focused their mana to their ears and nodded.

"It's very faint, but I can hear them too…"

"Same with me…"

The door opened up and a familiar face came in, making the other's eyes widen in surprise. Naruto stared at him.

"It's you!"

Botta's eyes narrowed at the group.

"Of all places, this is the last I expected to run into you…"

Lloyd's eyes narrowed.

"These guys are the Desians we ran into in the Triet Desert…"

One of Botta's subordinates laughed as he looked at Lloyd.

"Haha, they still think we're Desians."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he looked over them.

"You wear exactly the same uniforms and have their arrogance. It's not hard to confuse you for one."

The subordinate grunted but Botta but his arm out, stopping him while the other smirked.

"Sir, this is the perfect chance!"

Kratos' hand went top his sword handle.

"Are you looking to pick a fight?"

Botta shook his head slowly.

"Wait, both Kratos and Naruto are with them. Retreat for now."

Both subordinates nodded as they glared at Naruto who stood aside.

"Causing a ruckus in here now would be detrimental to both of us, I believe."

Botta smirked.

"Very true. Thank you for understanding."

Botta and his two subordinates ran passed Naruto and out the door. The door behind them opened and they turned around to see a fairly short half elf with white hair greased back and an incredibly unusual outfit. It was the same as the others, but with no helmet and two large yellow shoulder pads. His stature and demeanor gave Naruto the impression that their target had found them first.

The man looked over the group with causal disregard.

"Well ,well, I had heard that we had some rats running around as they pleased, and I assumed it was the Renegade Botta but instead I find the wanted inferior beings and their companions in arms. But I must say, I'm quite impressed that you are still alive after that attack. Quite the little cockroaches, aren't we?"

Lloyd glared at the man.

"Who're you?!"

The man looked at Lloyd in obvious distaste.

"You barge into **my** ranch and then demand **my** name?"

Genis looked at Lloyd nonplussed.

"Gee Lloyd, isn't this normally the other way around?"

Lloyd looked over his shoulder at him.

"Genis, this is not the time."

Naruto smirked at the man.

"Judging from your posture, your grasp of the language, and the aura of command you exude, would I be correct in guessing you are Kvar of the Grand Cardinals?"

The man looked at Naruto in obvious interest.

"Naruto Uzumaki, correct?"

Naruto nodded.

"I would extend my hand, but I don't believe that would be acceptable right now."

The man smirked slightly.

"You've given us many headaches, and I will commend you for that. Yes, I am Kvar of the Grand Cardinals. You are rather interesting, Naruto; the only human capable of fighting with such skill that an Exsphere becomes unnecessary."

Kvar looked over Lloyd and smiled as his gaze rested upon Lloyd's Exsphere.

"It is just as Forcystus said. That Exsphere is without a doubt the result of **my** Angelus Project!"

Colette's gaze narrowed as she pulled out her chakram and hurled them at Kvar who dodged to the side as the group charged through the door Kvar had come through. They quickly dispatched any Desians in their way as they kept running, trying to find an escape route until they saw a dead end. What was more note worthy was the conveyer belt that was leading into the one beside them. This one was encased in glass, but they could see human prisoners were screaming and trying to free themselves before they disappeared from view and one of the cases came out of the conveyer belt next to them.

"What… What is this?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he began to understand what he was seeing.

"No… God no, that can't be how they're made!"

They heard footsteps behind them and turned to see Kvar with a fair number of troops with him.

"This is where the Exspheres are removed from the host bodies."

Naruto glared at Kvar, trying to keep his rage in check.

"I knew there was something off about Exspheres… All the prisoners who bare them are so weak, and now I see why… You drain their life force into them, don't you?"

Kvar shrugged slightly as he looked up at the humans on the conveyer belt.

"More or less. Exspheres are dormant at first, but they extract nourishment from the host bodies to grow and develop. Human ranches are Exsphere manufacturing plants. Why else would we take our time raising and caring for these inferior beings?"

Naruto glared at Kvar while Genis looked at him in shock.

"That's terrible!"

Kvar looked at Genis condescendingly.

"Terrible? Terrible is what you've done. Stealing Exspheres we've taken so much time and care in creating. You deserve to be punished."

Naruto gritted his teeth as he glared at Kvar.

"You're a real asshole, aren't you? It takes a special kind of person to do something like that. We commonly call them filth."

Kvar paid no mind to Naruto's comment as he clicked his fingers and the guards backed them further into the corner.

"Damn, we're surrounded!"

They backed further up as Kvar placed both hands behind his back.

"Lloyd, your Exsphere was to be an offering to Lord Yggdrasill."

Kvar brought his right hand out and made a beckoning motion.

"It's time you gave it back."

Raine looked at Kvar's guards carefully.

"Yggdrasill? I suppose that's the name of your leader…"

"Yes, now for the sake of our great leader and for the sake of my own success, I need that Exsphere!"

Lloyd looked at Kvar in confusion.

"Again? What's so special about my Exsphere?"

Kvar sighed and looked at it almost longingly.

"That is the result of years of time consuming research. I can finally reclaim what was stolen by that filthy female host body."

Lloyd looked at Kvar in incomprehension.

"What are you talking about? 'That female host body'? You're not talking about…"

Lloyd's eyes narrowed as Kvar looked at Lloyd in a look that could only be described as pure contempt.

"Hmmm… You don't know anything, do you? That Exsphere was cultured on human body A012, human name; Anna: Your mother. She took it and escaped from the facility. Of course, she paid for her crime with her life."

Lloyd's eyes narrowed as he glared at Kvar.

"You killed my-"

Kvar smirked and shook his head.

"Now, now, don't blame me. I'm not the one who killed your mother. Your father did."

Lloyd's features began twisting in anger as he glared at Kvar. If looks could kill, Kvar would be splattered over the entire facility.

"LIAR!"

Kvar paid no mind to Lloyd's outburst as Naruto felt his own rage rising.

"Please. When her keycrestless Exsphere was removed, she turned into a monster and your father killed her. Pathetic, don't you think?"

Kratos' fist clenched as he glared at Kvar.

"Do not speak ill of the dead."

Kvar snorted and laughed.

"Who cares? They were both just a couple of filthy humans: Worthless maggots."

Naruto gritted his teeth as he felt the rage inside him snap and he blasted Kvar with a massive dose of killer intent, making him gasp and fall to his knees.

"**Don't you dare speak about the dead in that manner when in my presence."**

Naruto felt the rage begin to subside when Kvar began hyperventilating and look up at Naruto in horror, sweat dripping down his face.

"What… What are you?"

Naruto snorted as he looked at him.

"Someone far smarter than you could ever be."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he stared at Kvar while thinking as his subordinates surrounded him.

"Sir! Are you ok?"

'_I can't use that jutsu yet… And even if I could, I couldn't take all of us with me…'_

Sheena sighed and pulled out a card.

"I'm gonna use the last one, Grampa…"

Sheena threw the card to the ground as it burst into smoke to reveal another guardian that flashed and they vanished. The guards looked at the space they occupied in shock.

"They disappeared!"

He turned to Kvar.

"Your orders, Sir?"

Kvar looked around casually.

"Let them go. We can follow them any time by following the Chosen's Signature trail. Time is on our side."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**With the Group:**

They had arrived in Luin as the group sat down, despondently. Everyone but Kratos who had an Exshpere took it off and looked at it. Naruto just shook his head.

"I'm even gladder I don't use one after seeing that…"

Sheena looked down at the Exsphere in her hand.

"I can't believe Exspheres are made with human lives…"

Genis looked down at the one in his hand.

"This is Marbel's life…"

Lloyd ripped his off his own hand and raised it over his head.

"Arg! This… THING!"

Lloyd was about to hurl it to the ground when Naruto grabbed his hand.

"Stop for a moment, Lloyd. Whose life force was that Exsphere made from?"

"My… Mothers…"

Naruto nodded as Lloyd lowered his hand again. Naruto just shook his head.

"Even in death, she protects you and aids you through that Exsphere. Would you throw her away like that?"

Lloyd flinched at Naruto's statement as he shook his head.

"One day the time may come to destroy the Exspheres, but now is not that time. We would have died long ago without them."

"Don't you think I know that?!"

Naruto shook his head.

"Lloyd, sometimes, even though you know it is morally wrong, you must choose the action which will help you complete the mission. There will be cases when you as a leader will be required to do things you would rather kill yourself than do. This is one of those times, Lloyd. The people used to make the Exspheres didn't become victims of their own free will. Undoubtedly, they would have wanted to destroy the Desians for making their lives a misery. The only way they can do that now is through us. That is why we must bare their burdens and use their life force to aid us in battle."

Kratos nodded.

"Exactly. Their hopes and dreams can now only be accomplished through us."

Naruto looked over the group.

"Mortals are sinful, vain, hypocritical creatures. In a pinch, they will abandon everything they have strived and disregard their morals and the law in order to continue surviving. I know that better than anyone."

Sheena nodded slowly, not wanting to reveal what Naruto had told her to the others yet. Naruto walked over to the nearest solid wall and sat down against it.

"We need to sleep. No matter how much we want to deny it, we need to go back into Asgard ranch. I will keep watch for the night."

Everyone nodded as Naruto stood up and jumped up on top of the only stable part of the roof and looked out over the horizon, more specifically, towards the Ranch.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Several Hours Later:**

Naruto was still sitting atop the roof, the fire had long since died out. He stared up at the sky, feeling a twinge of homesickness when he heard someone land gently behind him.

"Feeling homesick?"

Naruto smiled sightly as Sheena came and sat next to him.

"Yeah… I miss my friends..."

Sheena looked up at the stars with Naruto.

"A whole world full of Ninja Villages, huh? That sounds kind of cool…"

Naruto nodded slightly.

"It has its perks…"

Naruto sighed and looked at Sheena.

"Sheena, did you see me nearly going berserk back in the Ranch?"

Sheena nodded.

"Yeah… That was one butt load of killer intent… You didn't even direct it at me and I could still feel part of it…"

Naruto sighed and looked down at the ground.

"Sheena, could I ask you to do me a favour?"

Sheena looked at Naruto as he continued staring at the water that surrounded Luin.

"Like what?"

Naruto reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small slip of paper.

"I know for a fact I will go berserk again. You're the only one who is fast enough and agile enough to do this. If you see red mana seeping out of me, you must place this seal to my forehead quickly. It will stop me going berserk."

Sheena nodded as she took the piece of paper.

"Alright…"

Sheena looked back up at the stars while Naruto continued looking at the ground.

"Sheena, I don't know how long I can keep my origin a secret from the others… All of them have their suspicions and I've promised to tell them soon enough…"

Naruto as well as Sheena were quite shocked by his openness.

"Yeah, I know the feeling… Being the only two Ninja in a world like this can be hard at times…"

Naruto nodded.

"That's about it… That and I can't talk to Kratos openly… I know Raine will just go into research mode as Genis called it and start obsessing over things other than listening… You're really the first person I've met apart from Lloyd's dad who I could talk openly with…"

Sheena nodded.

"How long have you been on Sylvarant for?"

Naruto thought back and smiled slightly.

"Several months…"

Sheena just looked up at the sky.

"No one to talk to openly for several months… I don't think I could live with that without going insane…"

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah… But still, you've got to be partly insane to be a Ninja at times, anyway…"

Sheena rolled her eyes.

"Tell me about it."

Both of them shared the silence for a moment before they heard crunching footsteps below and looked over the edge to see Kratos.

"Naruto, it's midnight. You should get some sleep. I'll take over."

Naruto nodded and smiled.

"Thanks, Kratos."

Naruto and Sheena hopped down and walked over to the rest of the group. Naruto immediately yawned and stretched before laying down on his stomach and curling up in what could only be described as the sleeping position of a fox. Sheena just shook her head and lay down near him, quickly nodding off to sleep.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning:**

As he normally did, Naruto awoke with the first rays of dawn. He was aware of some quiet breathing very close by and felt the sift breath on his face. His wrinkled his nose and slowly opened one eye to see Sheena was less than 20 centimetres from him, still asleep. He froze as his eyes shot open and held his breath. Sheena mumbled in her sheep and turned away from Naruto. He used this time to slowly inch away from her and stand up. He blinked several times and shrugged. He heard footsteps behind him and knew it was Kratos.

"You two seemed quite intimate there…"

Naruto just shook his head.

"I woke up and saw her face right in front of me…"

Kratos' smile widened.

"A likely story."

Naruto looked over his shoulder as he smiled.

"Jealous?"

Kratos' features hardened as Naruto knew he'd stepped over a line he shouldn't have.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that would strike a chord with you."

He shook his head.

"You did not know."

Naruto nodded as they sat down. He pulled out the food scroll and opened it, palming one of the seals as he pulled out a pre made breakfast for 8 people and smiled.

"Lucky I packed one extra person's worth of food…"

Kratos smirked as the group began to rouse as the smell of food wafted over them. The group for the most part grunted their good mornings to each other apart from Sheena who blinked several times and looked over the group, deadpanned.

"Looking at you guys now gives me a very different impression from when I faced you in battle…"

At that point, Colette came back to the group and smiled.

"Good morning, everyone."

Naruto raised a hand casually to her.

"Morning, Colette."

Kratos just nodded as Naruto smirked at the others.

"Did I ever tell you about how much I look forward to breakfast time conversations? They're so eloquent and engaging. Especially the grunting."

Kratos couldn't help but laugh softly while Sheena tried to contain her laughter, resorting to heavy snorting and smiling at that while Naruto just smirked. The others groaned about it being 'too early'.

"Well, I managed to make the ever stoic Kratos laugh. Mission accomplished. Eat up guys; we've got a big day ahead."

They nodded and reached into the basket of food Naruto had brought out and began hungrily munching away. After they had finished, they broke camp and set out. When they crossed the bridge, they looked around. Lloyd looked to Naruto.

"Where should we go, Naruto?"

"Not back to the Ranch just yet. Another attempt right now will earn us nothing but death."

Kratos nodded.

"As unfortunate as it is, Kvar will have undoubtedly increased his security."

Sheena looked over the group and nodded.

"Yeah. But there was a guy who escaped the ranch. We should try and find him. Last I heard, he was headed to the Hima Mountains."

Naruto nodded.

"Alright, we should seek him out. Chances are if he managed to escape, he knows a back entrance into the base."

All of them agreed and they set off to the west, towards the Hima Mountains. Sheena shook her head.

"I know the man we're looking for. The only problem is that he is under a curse."

Raine looked to Sheena in interest.

"A Curse?"

She nodded.

"Everyone who escapes the ranch is supposed to be cursed. I can see what they mean, he acts mindlessly… Getting any information out of him will be hard…"

They took this in and Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"It's the only lead we have. Let's seek him out."

They continued walking. It took them some time, but by late afternoon, they had reached the base of the Hima Mountains and began climbing the steep, but well worn path. As they rounded yet another corner, they caught sign of a building on a ledge. A signpost near them said:

'_Hima; Village of Adventurers.'_

They looked over the 'village' nonplussed.

"I don't think you can really call one building a village…"

Sheena nodded in agreement.

"No kidding…"

The group walked up to the building and opened the door to see it was an Inn, much to their pleasant surprise. Sheena's eyes widened as she saw someone she recognised.

"Sophia!"

Sheena smiled as she walked up to the other woman, who smiled back.

"Sheena, I'm glad you're ok. I was worried you didn't survive."

She smirked as the rest of the group walked up to them.

"These guys saved me. Anyway, how's Pietro?"

Sophia's smile turned to a look of anguish as Naruto knew what was coming.

"He's passed away…"

Genis shook his head and looked at Sophia.

"Did he say anything? Anything about the human ranch perhaps?"

Sophia looked at Genis, trying to hold herself together.

"I… I don't know… I don't even know if he escaped from there…"

Raine looked at Sophia carefully.

"What about his belongings?"

Sophia shook her head.

"He didn't have any."

Naruto sighed as he thought over their options which were rapidly dwindling before he asked one last question.

"What about his grave?"

"It's at the back of the Adventurer's Graveyard."

Naruto nodded and turned around.

"I suppose we should go and pay our respects…"

The group nodded as Sophia called out to them.

"And please don't think of digging up his grave…"

Naruto looked at her strangely.

"Why would we do that?"

They left the Inn and walked around the back and saw the graveyard, finding Pietro's grave and paid their respects. Naruto's eyes opened as he turned around when he heard shuffling footsteps behind him to see a brown haired man walk shuffle lifelessly towards them and stared through them at Pietro's grave as he began mumbling.

"C… Chosen… Mana… Die…"

Genis stepped back from him and watched as he shuffled slightly closer to the grave.

"What's he saying?"

Sheena's eyes widened as she realised who it was.

"Pietro! I heard you were dead…"

They looked back down the slope to see Sophia quickly walking up and walk over to Pietro.

"There you are."

Pietro turned to Sophia and stared lifelessly at her.

"Chosen… Die… Angel… Die… Human… Ranch… Underground…"

Sophia shook her head.

"You mustn't come out here, let's go."

She turned around only to see Naruto standing in front of her with his arms crossed, obviously not happy.

"I don't think so. I believe you have something you want to tell us? I really, really don't like it when people lie to me."

She looked up at Naruto fearfully as Raine glared at her.

"I agree with Naruto. He is the one who escaped the Human Ranch, isn't he? How did he do it?"

Pietro shook his head slowly.

"Boulder… Big… Underground… Jewel… Move… Chosen…"

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Big boulder? I remember there being a rather large one that seemed to be covering a grate of some sort near the entrance…"

Kratos' eyes widened in realisation.

"Could that be the escape route?"

Sophia stood in front of Pietro defensively.

"Please, just let him be!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"If you ever want him cured of that curse, we need to talk to him, as hard as it will be. He also holds the key to stopping the human ranch turning people into Exspheres. We **will** talk to him."

Naruto's tone of voice and choice of words left no room for argument and she nodded.

"Ok, but only if you promise to lift the curse."

Naruto nodded.

"Very well."

The group returned to the Inn and Sophia lay Pietro down on the bed before the others took a seat where they could. Sophia looked at Pietro forlornly.

"The healing technique to cure it was left by Boltzman in the Tower of Mana."

Naruto nodded.

"Fine, but infiltrating the Ranch comes first. That is not optional. Pietro will continue to stay in this state, but the people in the ranch will continue to die until we stop the Desians."

Sophia nodded slightly.

"When he escaped, he came through the front yard and he blocked the exit with a boulder. His things are in his grave. Take them with you."

They nodded and turned to leave, walking out of the Inn and quickly digging up Pietro's grave to find the jewel he had mumbled about. They looked it over and nodded. Kratos turned and looked out over the area around the mountains, staring at the Tower of Salvation. He nodded to himself and turned around as he looked over the others.

"We should head back to the Ranch immediately."

Everyone nodded in agreement and they set off. Not far into the trip, Raine looked at the sky, noticing it began to take the orange hue of late afternoon.

"We should sleep before we assault the ranch."

Sheena, Naruto and Kratos nodded but Lloyd turned around and stared at them.

"But people are dying in there!"

Naruto sighed and looked at Lloyd as they continued walking.

"Lloyd, think about it like this; if we go in there half asleep, we'll probably die right? People will continue to be turned into Exspheres. It's not a pretty way to think about it, but if we die, so does any chance of saving this world, let alone the prisoners at the ranch."

Lloyd nodded slowly.

"I suppose. Doesn't mean I have to like it though…"

Sheena nodded.

"We all feel like that Lloyd, but we need to do it."

Kratos and Raine looked over at the shadow of the ranch far off in the distance as they reached Luin at dusk. Naruto looked up at the moon and sighed.

"Just 5 days until the next full moon…"

Everyone turned to him as Kratos stepped up beside him.

"Did you say something, Naruto?"

Naruto shrugged.

"Just talking to myself, I suppose…"

Sheena smirked at Naruto.

"Just don't answer back."

Naruto rolled his eyes as they set up camp for the evening, eating some of the food they had bought at Asgard and quickly getting to sleep.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning:**

Everyone was up early, eating a quick breakfast and breaking camp. The tension in the air was thick as they checked their equipment and walked out of Luin towards the dark shadow that was the Asgard Ranch. Little was said as they approached the ranch, carefully avoiding the patrols and finding the boulder Peitro mumbled about. Raine pulled out the orb and looked it over as Lloyd tried to move it, not making it budge an inch. Raine nodded and walked up to it, placing the Orb against the boulder and making it move and show them the grate. They nodded to each other and jumped inside, landing right inside the control room where two guards were waiting. Naruto, Sheena and Kratos immediately went into action and took both of them out before they could realise they were there. Raine and Naruto immediately went to the console as Naruto looked it over as he and Raine pressed several buttons to bring up the map. Naruto looked over the console in caution.

"This console looks far more advanced than anything Palmacosta Ranch had…"

Raine nodded in agreement as they looked over the map and one particular area began flashing.

"This is where we are."

The area stopped flashing and the one in the top left hand corner began flashing.

"This is where Kvar should be."

She pressed several more buttons and noticed something.

"However, to get to Kvar, we need to deactivate the guard system…"

Naruto thought back to their last trip here and his eyes narrowed.

"The Conveyor Belt…"

Raine nodded.

"Yes, the Exspheres were blocking our ability to get to Kvar's control room…"

After pressing several more buttons, Raine highlighted the other end of the map.

"To get to Kvar's control room, we need to shut down the guard system and the conveyor belt. To deactivate the guard system, it seems we need to activate two switches which are here. The controls to the conveyor belt are set so they can't easily be reached when it is in use…"

An Alarm went of and Naruto gritted his teeth.

"Detected?"

Raine nodded.

"Dammit, they caught us…"

Naruto looked over the group.

"We don't have time to send the whole group at once to the switches and then the conveyor controls. We must split up and meet up again in Kvar's control room."

They all nodded as they heard shouts and footsteps approaching them. Naruto looked over the group and nodded.

"Kratos, Lloyd, Sheena and Genis, can you guys take care of the conveyor belts and hold off Kvar once we deactivate the guard system? I'll send a Kage Bunshin with you. The rest of us will head to the guard system switches. Let's go!"

Naruto created a clone and sent it off with that group as they charged out the door, instantly seeing the bases forces assembling.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**With the Other Team:**

The team ran through the door, quickly taking out the few guards that were here before Naruto walked up to the console and nodded.

"If we can deactivate this, we can stop the people having their Exsphere's removed."

Naruto pushed a few buttons and a menu came up, making him smile and shut down the terminal once he had stopped it.

"There. Now we just have to worry about the conveyor belt itself…"

They turned around and ran back out of the room, running back towards the conveyor belt and seeing that luckily, they had about 20 Desians to deal with because of the fact this was the only room between them and Kvar. Naruto nodded towards the floating green rings.

"Quickly, Lloyd."

Lloyd ran towards it and shoved his hand into the ring, seeing the fire of the Sorcerer's Ring glow even brighter than before. The clone looked towards the others and nodded as they charged the Desians, trying to hold them off. Naruto's clone jumped back and looked at Lloyd, shouting to him over the din of battle.

"Lloyd! We'll hold them off! Use the Sorcerer's Ring to disable the conveyor belt!"

Lloyd nodded and stepped onto the moving conveyor belt, losing his balance for a moment before he began running the other way and carefully took aim.

"Steady…"

He activated it and hit one of the nodes, making it flash and turn off. He quickly went to the other two on this side, and after a couple of hit and miss attempts, got both of them. Kratos, Sheena and Genis jumped back as did the clone. The clone looked over all of them and shook his head.

"You guys can't waste your energy like this…"

Sheena glared at Naruto.

"Do you have any better ideas?"

The clone smirked as he looked over the remaining Desians.

"As a matter of fact, I do. I can suicide bomb them."

They looked at Naruto in shock but Kratos nodded.

"That might be the best way…"

The clone charged the Desians who smirked.

"What's he thinking? He didn't stand a chance with his friends and he thinks he can take us alone?"

The Clone grinned ferally at them as it announced its jutsu.

"Bunshin Daibakuha!"

The clone exploded violently, completely vaporising the Desians and a massive section of the walkway. Sheena's mouth hit the ground.

"I… I've never seen a Shinjutsu like that before…"

Kratos managed to peel his eyes away from the destruction for moment to look at Sheena.

"Shinjutsu?"

She nodded.

"A suicide spell…."

Kratos nodded.

"At least Naruto's clone managed to take them all out. It would have become troublesome if it had not…"

Lloyd got off the conveyor belt and looked at the destruction.

"Wow, that's an even bigger crater than the one caused by my Raging Beast I used at the Seal of Wind…"

Genis just shook his head.

"Remind me not to make Naruto angry…"

All of them nodded in agreement as Lloyd deactivated the last of the controls and the belt stopped, letting them head up to Kvar's control room.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**With the Other Group:**

Everyone lost their footing as a massive tremor ripped through the base with the roar of an explosion. The Desian leader looked at them in horror.

"What did you do?!"

Naruto smirked.

"My clone just suicided and took out 20 of you guys plus a large section of the other area. Should I make another one and take you 50 out?"

They backed up and the officer shook his head.

"Retreat! They're too powerful!"

They nodded and turned tail, escaping the ranch making Naruto smirk.

"Works every time… What idiots…"

Raine smirked as they ran towards the switch room.

"At least we can work un hindered now."

They quickly ran to the first switch and activated it, noticing the door behind them closed, leaving them only one option. They took the door to the side and smiled as they looked around them.

"The holding cells…"

Naruto and Raine ran to the terminals and began opening the cells. The prisoners walked out and gathered around them as Naruto looked them over.

"Are you guys alright?"

They looked at Naruto fearfully.

"Who are you?"

Naruto smirked slightly at them.

"A group of people guarding the Chosen One."

All of their faces brightened considerably as they looked at Colette.

"The Chosen has come to save us?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yes. However, I need to ask you guys something. Is anyone here from Palmacosta?"

One man answered.

"I am…"

Naruto turned to him.

"Do you know a girl named Chocolat?"

The man nodded slightly.

"Ah yes. She underwent host body testing here. That determines which ranch you go to. I heard she was going to the Iselia Ranch…"

"Iselia, huh… Alright thank you."

The man nodded as Naruto turned to Colette.

"Colette, I'll create a few clones to guide these guys out of the ranch. We need to focus on taking Kvar out."

Colette nodded.

"Alright."

Naruto created 3 clones, much to the shock of the prisoners. The clones turned around and motioned the prisoners to follow them, but they hesitated. Colette smiled at them.

"It's alright. Those clones will lead you out of the ranch and protect you."

They nodded and followed after the clones as Naruto watched their backs in a very nonplussed manner.

"They ignore me yet listen to you when you say exactly the same thing… Kind of reminds me of someone from my old Genin Team…"

They turned to Naruto who sighed.

"Oh well, let's quickly activate the last switch and get back to the others."

They nodded as they walked through the other door to see the last switch and stepped on it, locking the door. Naruto smiled.

"Just hold on, Lloyd. We'll be there soon…"

They ran back through the base towards Kvar's control room.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**In the Guard System Room:**

Kratos, Sheena and Lloyd had just dispatched the last of the guards and turned to see the teleport pad activate and they stepped onto it.

"Just you wait, Kvar."

They were transported inside the Control Room where they saw Kvar talking with a woman in the projector. Lloyd's eyes narrowed.

"I've found you, Kvar."

They ran up to him as the Lady casually looked over Lloyd and Kratos.

"So this is Lloyd? I see; he does bare a resemblance…"

Kvar looked over them in casual boredom.

"So, you've come…"

He looked back at the woman and glared at her.

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't change the subject, Pronyma! It's clear you've been stealing research data from my Angelus Project!"

She glared down at Kvar.

"I grow tired of your accusations, Kvar. As I have told you, I know nothing of it."

Kvar smirked slightly at her.

"Stubborn woman… Well, I suppose I should expect no less from the one who usurped the leadership of the Five Grand Cardinals. Take heed, Pronyma; once I retrieve the Exsphere from this inferior being, I will become the leader of the Five Grand Cardinals. When that happens, you'll be begging for my forgiveness."

Pronyma glared down at him as she crossed her arms.

"You speak nonsense Kvar. I've also heard that Rodyle has talked you into joining one of his little schemes, but it would be best for you not to believe you an deceive Lord Yggdrasill for long."

Sheena turned to the back of the room as the others charged in and stood next to Lloyd, Sheena and Kratos as the transmission ended. Kvar sighed lightly.

"So, the Mana Cannon is no longer a secret. Well, it doesn't matter."

He turned to Lloyd and glared at the Exsphere on his hand.

"Once I retrieve that Exsphere, any suspicions I may have been under will be but a distant memory."

Lloyd grabbed his swords and unsheathed them as he glared at Kvar.

"You're not gonna take this from me!"

Kvar charged Sheena, Lloyd and Kratos as Naruto held his hand out.

"This is there battle. Let them fight it by themselves."

Genis looked at Naruto in shock.

"What?! You can't be serious!"

"I am, Genis. This is there revenge. You **never** take someone's revenge away from them. If you help them now, you'll just kill them."

They watched as Kvar's staff clashed with Sheena's cards, Lloyd's and Kratos' swords.

"What!? How is helping them killing them?"

Raine sighed and shook her head.

"Killing them with kindness, Genis. All of them must kill Kvar by themselves. If you go in there to save them, their will to live will be crushed because they needed help to complete their own revenge. As harsh as it seems, they would rather die than ask for help as things stand now…"

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"It's for exactly the same reason I didn't help you and Lloyd with Marbel at Iselia, Genis. This is their fight, you need to understand that."

Genis nodded and watched as all three of them charged Kvar again, trying desperately to find the mark. Kvar slammed all three of them away with his staff and began charging a Mana Circle.

"Spark Wave!"

Lloyd ducked and rolled to the side as a ball of electricity fried the area he had just been standing in, trying to run up behind him while Kratos charged from in front. He blocked both of them as Sheena saw her chance and flashed in, slapping an explosive tag around Kvar's staff and activated it, making him grunt in frustration as he hurled it at Kratos and it exploded, much to everyone's shock until Kratos charged out of the smoke completely undamaged and stabbed his sword through the shocked Kvar's leg, making him fall to the other knee as Lloyd drove his sword through Kvar's right arm. Kvar just glared at the ground as his vision swam.

"I was… So close…"

With that, he slumped to the ground and Lloyd looked down at him with no emotions on his face.

"I did it… I avenged my mum…"

Lloyd placed his hand over the Exsphere and smiled sadly.

"I did it mum… I avenged you…"

The others smiled and ran up to them. Naruto smiled at Kratos.

"How did you survive that exploding tag?"

Kratos smirked slightly.

"A well timed Guardian took care of the damage."

Naruto smiled and nodded as he walked over to Lloyd and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Well done, Lloyd."

Lloyd nodded as Raine came up to them.

"We've learned of Chocolat's location."

The others turned to her as Naruto nodded.

"Yeah. She's at the Iselia Ranch."

Colette's eyes widened .

"Look out!"

They all turned just in time to see Kvar hurl an electrified dagger at Lloyd's back. Naruto went into action as did Colette, but because she was closer, she jumped in front of him and took the dagger to the back and fell into Lloyd's arms as the blood began streaming down her back.

"COLETTE!"

Naruto looked at Colette and then glared at Kvar, his rage rising to boiling point as he was surrounded by red mana, making everyone step back in shock as Naruto opened his eyes again to reveal blood red irises and slitted pupils. Raine fell to her knees as she looked at Naruto in horror.

"What… what is this mana?! It's appalling!"

"The wounds on his hands are regenerating so fast I can see them…"

"**You're a real scumbag. It takes a special kind of person to do that. DIE!"**

Naruto roared and charged forward and gathered the mana around his hand as he shoved it straight through Kvar's heart before he picked the well and truly dead Grand Cardinal up and hurled him into the consoles. Naruto growled as Sheena pulled out the seal and raced towards Naruto, slamming it onto his forehead and making the mana disappear instantly as Naruto slumped slightly.

"Thanks, Sheena… I nearly lost control again…"

Sheena nodded.

"Don't worry about it… For now, Colette is…"

Naruto nodded and trudged back to the group and raised a hand at Kratos.

"I said I will explain. The Chosen is what matters right now…"

Kratos nodded and carefully pulled the dagger out of Colette's back and Naruto nodded.

"Using that red mana drains me completely… Raine… Can you try and help Colette…"

She nodded as Naruto slumped to the ground, much to the others shock. Sheena leant down next to him and nodded.

"He's just unconscious, suffering from a minor case of mana exhaustion…"

They nodded and got to work on Colette. Eventually they managed to close the wound and Kratos nodded.

"I will carry Naruto out of here. He is in no position to do so himself."

They nodded as Lloyd placed a hand gently on Colette's shoulder.

"Colette, can you walk? Don't lie to me, if you can't, I'll carry you."

She smiled at Lloyd.

"I'm fine, I can handle it…"

Lloyd nodded and looked at Raine.

"Professor, can you set this place to explode like the last one?"

She nodded and walked to a control panel.

"I'll set it to 15 minutes…"

She pressed several more buttons before nodding.

"It's done."

They quickly got to the teleport pad and left the control room, making a hasty retreat.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**10 Minutes Later in the Control Room:**

The communications hologram activated and showed the same man who had appeared in the Palmacosta ranch just before it blew up.

"_Lord Kvar, thanks to you the Mana Cannon will soon be complete. Oh, do not worry, for I shall carry on the Angelus Project. Oh, I suppose you can't hear me anymore! Mwahahaha! Well then, I suppose you won't mind me taking the data from the Angelus Project then, hmmm?"_

He waited for a moment before smiling.

"_I didn't think you would have any objections. Farewell!"_

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Outside the Ranch 5 Minutes Ago:**

Raine nodded as they ran out of the gates.

"We need to head back to Asgard to decided what to do next."

Kratos nodded as they ran away from the ranch come ticking time bomb towards Luin and then onto Asgard.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**At the 15 Minute Mark:**

The Ranch's turbine went into overdrive and burst into flames which ran along the fuel lines and hit the fuel tanks, making the base explode violently and leaving nothing but rubble and charred, smoking piles of twisted scrap metal.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** And there you have it people. Now you know how Exspheres are made… Well, assuming you haven't played the game before. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed it. And next chapter proves to be interesting. Naruto and Sheena reveal where they come from? You'll have to stay tuned for the next chapter of Two Worlds, Two ninja!

Take care everyone.

Specula/Synica.


	11. The Truth of it All

**A/N:** Finally, got it done! Alright people, there are still some who don't understand the concept of 'what the writer says goes'. Unlike some writers, what I do is actually believable, despite the fact some or many don't like it. So, for those people who like to bitch, here's something for you:

**I'm writing this the way I want to and that's that. ****Nothing**** you can say or do will change that. ****Ever.**

There's a link to something in my profile if you can be bothered to take a few clicks to listen to it. I've even put it right at the very top for you really lazy ones.

Now some may say; 'wow, Synica's gone nutty again' the fact is that I'm barely scraping a living and one of my bosses is determined to get me fired for completely falsified reasons. That and I'm battling some sort of intestinal bug that refuses to die In short, I'm **really** damn angry right now, so sorry to those who I mistake for being assholes when you're not but I'm not easy to approach right now. That and my computer just died so I had to go out and replace the majority of the parts, which explains the lateness in updating.

On a final note, I've had a number of people asking me 'is there anything that influences the way you write a chapter' in the last few months. Yes, like everything else, music heavily influences my mood and therefore my writing. So for this chapter to give people an idea of what song is influencing my writing at that point, I will insert small author's notes throughout the chapter indicating what song I was listening to at that point. Unless stated, all songs are from the Tales of Symphonia soundtrack.

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU/SPELL..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Two Worlds, Two Ninja:

Chapter Ten:

The Truth of it All:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**That Night at Luin:**

_AN: Far from Our World._

Naruto became aware that he was conscious, but kept still. The cool, but gentle breeze as well as the cracking of a campfire told him they he was likely safe and he opened his eyes, slowly sitting up to see everyone was there, looking at him. He rubbed his forehead and looked around at the disturbingly familiar charred ruins.

"Luin…"

Raine nodded slowly.

"By the time we reached Luin, nightfall was only an hour away. Travelling the roads at night is too dangerous, so we'll rest here for the night…"

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes.

"I said I would tell you everything about my passed and where I came from, and I will do so tonight, but I need time to collect my thoughts. This is the first time I've ever told anyone who didn't know, even amongst my closest friends back home…"

They seemed to agree as he stood up.

"I'll be sitting on the roof."

Not waiting for an answer, he hopped deftly on top of the roof and sat down, looking up at the night sky, looking among the stars.

"Wonder which one's mine…"

"You may not be able to see it…"

Naruto looked over his shoulder to see Sheena walking up beside him.

"Mind if I take a seat?"

Naruto shook his head and she sat down next to him, looking up at the sky herself.

"I can tell Raine and probably Kratos as well are onto me…"

Naruto nodded as he hugged his knees, making Sheena look at him in concern.

"This is going to be hard for you, isn't it?"

He nodded slowly.

"Yeah…"

She sighed and looked back up at the sky, closing her eyes.

"Tell you what. How about I tell them where I'm from and why I was sent here as well?"

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked at her in disbelief.

"Are you sure, Sheena?"

She nodded.

"I'd have to do it at some point. Might as well get it all out of the way…"

Naruto nodded and smiled.

"Thanks, Sheena… It means a lot…"

She snorted and glared playfully at him.

"You can pay me back later."

Naruto snorted and looked back down at the group.

"Right…"

Sheena stood up and looked carefully down at the group.

"Want to get it over with?"

Naruto nodded, standing up as well.

"Sure."

_AN: Hidden Sorrow._

Both of them hopped down and rejoined the group. Naruto sat next to Sheena and sighed, looking at her.

"You might as well go first. It'll be easier to explain where you come from than where I do."

Sheena nodded and stood up.

"I suppose I should explain why I was trying to assassinate the Chosen."

Raine nodded slowly.

"All right, we're listening."

Sheena sighed.

"As you can probably tell from my clothes, I'm not from around here. Not even from this world."

All of their eyes widened as Sheena continued explaining.

"My world is called Tethe'alla."

Genis looked up at the moon in the sky.

"Tethe'alla? You mean you live on the moon?"

Sheena shook her head and smirked.

"Haha, of course not. Even I don't understand the specifics, but there is another world that lies entwined with Sylvarant, as shadow is to light. That's Tethe'alla...my world."

Genis shook his head in confusion.

"Two entwined worlds?"

Sheena nodded.

"The two worlds lie directly adjacent to each other. They just can't see one another. Our scholars say they exist on shifted dimensions. Anyway, the two worlds can't see or touch each other, but they do in fact exist next to and affect each other."

"What do you mean, 'affect each other'?"

Sheena turned to Lloyd to answer the question.

"They vie for the supply of mana. When one world weakens, the mana from that world flows to the other. As a result, one world is always flourishing, and the other

waning. Sort of like an hourglass."

Genis' eyes narrowed as he realised what this meant.

"Wait, so right now Sylvarant is..."

Sheena nodded.

"Yeah. Sylvarant's mana is flowing to Tethe'alla. Therefore, Sylvarant is in decline. Without mana, crops won't grow and magic becomes unusable. If there is no mana, the Summon Spirits that protect the world alongside the Goddess Martel can't survive in Sylvarant either. As a result, the world slips even further down the path of destruction."

Raine put a hand to her chin as she though this over.

"Then the Chosen's world regeneration is actually the process of reversing the mana flow?"

"Exactly. When the Chosen breaks a seal, the mana flow reverses, and the Summon Spirit that governs the seal awakens. I was sent to prevent the world regeneration from happening. I broke through the supposedly impassable dimensional fissure for the sake of protecting Tethe'alla."

Lloyd glared at her and stood up

"In other words, to ensure the decline and destruction of Sylvarant."

Naruto glared at Lloyd as he began to reach for his sword.

"Lloyd, stay your weapon. By helping the Chosen complete the Journey of Regeneration, we are doing exactly the same thing to Tethe'alla, killing it and its people. We have no right to act like that."

Raine nodded.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Naruto is correct. Lloyd, let's listen to the rest of this. Even so, it is hard for me to believe this…"

Lloyd sat back down again and crossed his arms as Sheena continued, tapping her heart with a finger.

"I'm the proof. I possess the lost arts of summoning, which have been lost from this world."

Colette looked up at Sheena in confusion.

"But Naruto can also summon… He's already made a pact with Undine…"

Naruto smirked.

"When I said I wanted to find a way back home, I didn't mean to someplace on this planet. My home is on another world."

All of them looked at Naruto, Lloyd speaking their thoughts.

"So you come from Tethe'alla too?"

Naruto shook his head.

"No, I come from another one."

All of their eyes widened as they looked at him, Sheena sitting back down.

"Another world? Just how many are there!?"

Naruto shrugged.

"Probably many, many more, maybe even a hundred scattered amongst the stars, but all I know of is Sylvarant, Tethe'alla and my own world, which is called Gaia."

"Gaia? So what relationship does it have to our world?"

Naruto shrugged and chucked a log onto the fire.

"No idea. Before I came here, I thought we were the only ones in existence. Gaia is a world that is divided up into countries across a single continent. Each major as well as most minor countries have a village of Ninja. I come from the largest and most powerful country, the Fire Country. Our village is called Konohagure no Sato, the village hidden in leaves. Our world has been in constant conflict for a long as anyone, or history can remember; a world torn by eternal bloodshed and war as the villages make their bid for world domination."

Colette shook her head and looked at the ground.

"That sounds horrible…"

Naruto shrugged.

"It is what it is. There are too many power hungry people in the world for it to change. That and if true peace did come about, the economy of every village, and therefore every country in the world would collapse because they're geared to rely on wars and battle to make money. Our planet's people would die. Anyway, over the last century, some of the villages sought some sort of instant guaranteed victory over their opponents. That was when our world quite literally went to hell."

Raine's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?"

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes.

"The villages began summoning the nine demon lords from hell to aid them. Naturally, no mere mortal could control such beings of fury, carnage and power as the 'Bijuu'. The Bijuu turned on their summoners and quickly killed them. The only option they had left was to seal the Bijuu inside newborn babies as a last ditch attempt to control and harness them. This happened countless times over the following 80 years, the last happening nearly 18 years ago, the Kyuubi no Yoko, king of demons and ruler of hell. Konoha were the ones who summoned him, and they failed just as miserably as the other villages did with their Bijuu. In order to stop it, the leader of Konoha at the time, The Yondaime Hokage sacrificed his life to call up the only being more powerful than the Kyuubi, Shinigami to rip the Kyuubi's soul from his body, along with the Yondaime Hokage's soul as payment and sealed it inside a newborn child. That child… Was me."

_AN: Secret of the Blue Sky._

All of their eyes widened as Naruto looked up at them sadly.

"As the Kyuubi no Yoko's jailor, I am forever destined to keep it at bay through sheer force of will, to be hated by humanity as the very thing I keep at bay and protect them from. When I die, so does it. In exchange, I gain unlimited power, mana, or chakra, as we call it on our world, and near invincibility, I nearly become a god as far as my level of chakra as well as my ability to recover from fatal wounds go. I can survive broken necks, spines, having a sword thrust through my lung, my legs blown off, anything but one wound. If my heart is destroyed or damaged, so am I. Remember in Palmacosta when I was impaled through the heart? My heart is the organ that processes the Kyuubi's power. As long as my heart is functioning, so am I. As for how I ended up here, one thing I never told you about the Sannin or the Neo Sannin is that both of them were never really a trio, but a duo. The third member has always left. Orochimaru, and my team mate, Sasuke. My last mission before I came here was to attempt to kill Orochimaru and bring Sasuke back. However, my Sensei used an extremely powerful jutsu, capable of ripping a hole in space and time and sending the target to another dimension as a last ditched effort to save ourselves. To be truthful, I believe my Sensei's jutsu and the technology Sheena used to get here are exactly the same, the only difference being one is 'natural' so to speak, and the other was achieved through artificial means like technology. The jutsu was intended for Sasuke, however, my body moved on its own… I took it for him and ended up here on Sylvarant. Now, I'm just looking for some way to get back home. These world's affairs have nothing to do with my fate or my world, which is why I am hesitant to involve myself further in them because by being here, I am putting both of them in grave danger, a danger they will not survive."

All of them took this in as Sheena looked at Naruto questioningly.

"Danger?"

Naruto nodded.

"On my world, there are nine people… No, most of them can't truthfully be called people, beings is a better word, who seek to take over the world by capturing the ones who have had the Bijuu sealed inside them and draining them, killing the container. Of all nine Bijuu left… There remains only three, two of which I know… The Shichibi no Suzaku and the Kyuubi no Yoko, both of whom are here in this world. I have no idea how Shichibi got here, but Akatsuki will without a doubt come here and capture it."

Kratos looked at Naruto carefully, betraying no emotions.

"If they seek the Shichibi as you call it and only wish to capture it, what risk does that pose to both worlds? Unless…"

Naruto nodded.

"Exactly. They'll take over both worlds as well as my own."

Raine just shook her head.

"With only nine beings, that should be impossible…"

Naruto shook his head.

"Raine, these beings cannot be considered remotely human. A single one of them is capable of conquering a single one of my planet's countries by themselves. And considering from what I've seen, a single village could conquer this world with ease, and if done by surprise, neither world would even have a hope. Not the slightest shred. I don't even want to think about what would happen if they got their hands on some Exspheres… The results would be catastrophic, to say the least…"

All of them were silent for a moment as they let this sink in until Lloyd's eyes widened.

"So the reason you never used an Exsphere was because it would draw out the Kyuubi's power?"

Naruto nodded.

"More than likely that's exactly what would happen. Once the Kyuubi's power begins leaking, I cannot stop it. There is a limit to how much of the Kyuubi's chakra I can draw on before the Kyuubi's rapid regeneration can no longer repair the damage caused by it. Eventually, the damage caused become so significant that the shield as many call it begins ripping blood through my pores and surrounds me in my own blood as well as the Kyuubi's chakra. The only way I can get to that point is if I get so angry at someone that I go berserk. By that stage, I can't tell friend from foe I'm so blinded by rage. Even now, after getting used to it for nearly 18 years, it still terrifies me. The more of the Kyuubi's power I draw on, the more of myself I lose until I pull out all nine tails worth of it's chakra, at which point the Kyuubi takes over my body and is reborn. I believe that is what my village fears me for and so they distance themselves from me because of it."

Genis shook his head.

"That's horrible! How could your own people do that to you and then treat you like that!?"

Naruto shrugged as he looked at the fire, the crackling light making gaunt shadows over his emotionless face.

"Because they are human. Humans are fragile, shallow, hypocritical, foolish and naïve. They hate and detest what they cannot understand, no matter the circumstances…"

Sheena sighed and looked at Naruto before looking down at the fire, obviously sharing similar thoughts to him while Lloyd stared at Naruto.

"Do you really believe that, Naruto?"

He nodded.

"More than just believe it. I know it better than anyone. After all, not many people could say they were doing the right thing by calling me 'demon filth' and the like as a child. After all, I came so close to becoming a self fulfilling prophecy and turning on my village and becoming exactly what they called me."

He looked up at the sky and smirked slightly, deep in memory. Raine took a deep breath in and looked over both Sheena and Naruto.

"This is a great deal of information to take in at one time…"

Most of the others nodded in agreement as they fell into silence for a moment before Kratos' eyes narrowed slightly.

"In hindsight, much of this makes sense… I can understand why you wished to keep your past a secret, even with my years of experience as a warrior, I am still trying to comprehend the full scope of this…"

Naruto smirked slightly at stumping the almighty Kratos, however, that faded quickly as he looked at the others, trying desperately to hide the look of sheer, gut wrenching need for acceptance. Even Raine couldn't handle the look and she lowered her head and looked into the fire's flames. Colette looked back up at Naruto and smiled at him.

_AN: Lloyd's theme Ocarina Version._

"Even so, Naruto, you're still the same person as you were before right? If what you've told us about the… Bijuu is true, there's no way you could be one of them… You're too human. I don't think any different of you now than I have since I met you."

Naruto froze for a moment as this sunk in before he felt a massive weight lift off his shoulders. This is the first time he had ever confided his biggest secret in another without others forcing him to do so. The difference was instantly recognisable to him as one by one, the others nodded in agreement with Colette's statement. Naruto couldn't help but let a single tear roll down his cheek as he smiled tiredly.

"Thanks guys, it means a lot to me… More than you can imagine…"

Sheena snorted and elbowed him lightly.

"Come on you sissy, stop crying."

Naruto looked up at her and smiled.

"I once said that 'it's alright to cry when you're happy'. Probably one of the only things I still believe from my childhood."

Sheena smiled slightly and stretched her legs out.

"I suppose you're right."

Kratos gently ran a hand down Noishe's flank as he closed his eyes.

"It's been a long day for all of us. We had best get some sleep."

Naruto smirked slightly at Kratos.

"You're the last I expected that to come from, Kratos."

Kratos smirked slightly and looked at Naruto.

"Really? Well, in any case, since Colette does not require sleep anymore because of the transformation, would you like to keep first watch, Chosen?"

She nodded slowly.

"Ok."

No one tried to stop her as the others unpacked their sleeping gear and prepared for the night.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning:**

_AN: Water Symphony – Despair._

Naruto woke up slightly later than he usually did, seeing Sheena, Kratos, Colette and Rain already up, sitting up and blinking several times, yawning and rubbing his eyes.

"Morning, everyone."

Sheena smirked at him.

"Wow, the all reliable alarm clock Naruto didn't wake up at dawn for once…"

Naruto shrugged and looked at her, getting his bearings.

"I have my moments."

Sheena shrugged as the rest of them woke up and they dug into their reserves of food, using the campfire Kratos had made to cook several pieces of meat and some eggs. Finally, hen they finished, Naruto sighed contently before looking at the group, who seemed to be looking at him expectantly, making him shrug.

"Did I miss something?"

Raine shook her head.

"No, but you usually come up with the plans on where to go and what to do."

Naruto shrugged and looked at Lloyd.

"Why don't you give it a try, Lloyd?"

Lloyd started in shock and pointed to himself.

"Me?"

Naruto nodded, smirking slightly.

"I don't know anyone else by the name of Lloyd."

Lloyd looked around at the others nervously before Colette smiled at him.

"Don't worry, Lloyd. You can do it."

Lloyd nodded slowly before looking back at Naruto.

"Naruto, remember when you read the scripture?"

Naruto nodded.

"Yes. What about it?"

Lloyd scratched his head sheepishly and chuckled.

"I forgot what the clues were. Could you… Tell me again?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow before smiling.

"Let's see if I can remember…"

Naruto closed his eyes and hummed, crossing his arms before Kratos spoke for him.

"'At the roof of the world lies a tower of domination, giving the overlord unobstructed views of all he surveys and commands'"

Naruto smiled sheepishly.

"Thanks, Kratos, I forgot…"

Lloyd nodded and looked over the mountain range to the north of them, pointing to a tower that rose above them, but no where near as tall as the Tower of Salvation.

"Well, since the Tower of Salvation is the final seal, wouldn't that tower there be it?"

Naruto nodded.

"More than likely."

Lloyd stood up and attached his swords to his belt.

"Well then, let's go!"

Everyone nodded and broke camp, gathering their things and walking out of Luin towards the mountain ranges to the north.

_AN: Talk About Sylvarant._

Naruto looked at Lloyd who was glaring at the tower ahead of them and smirked.

"Lloyd, do you still have the rubber ball on you?"

He nodded and pulled it out.

"Yeah, but because we've been doing so much, I haven't had time to train…"

Naruto nodded.

"Just making sure. We may get a chance soon enough."

Lloyd nodded and put it away, while he, Raine and Sheena discussed the differences between their worlds. By mid morning and several minor scuffles with angry wild animals later, they reached the tower and walked up the massive steps and looked at the elaborate door. Raine immediately ran up to it, hearts in her eyes.

"Marvellous! So this is the Tower of Mana, built to gaze upon the tower of Salvation!"

Colette nodded.

"Yes, I think it is…"

Lloyd looked over his shoulder at Colette.

"What is?"

Genis sighed and shook his head.

"Honestly, Lloyd. We studied this in class, remember?"

Lloyd clearly didn't, so Colette explained while Raine continued fawning over the structure.

"It's a tower that was used as a temple by the Church of Martel to offer prayers to the Tower of Salvation, although it was closed a long time ago because monsters started appearing inside…"

Raine glared at the door in what could only be described as hunger.

"I simply must go inside…"

Naruto nodded.

"We have to. The Scripture of Spiritua said it was in a tower, and given that the only other tower this big or bigger is the Tower of Salvation, I'd say this is the Seal of Light. That and we have to get Boltzman's book from inside as well."

Sheena nodded.

"Yeah, we promised we'd get it after Asgard Ranch was destroyed."

Kratos stepped up to the door and ran a hand gently over it.

"Even so, it appears locked and there is no Oracle Stone…"

Naruto walked up to it and looked at the door, shaking his head.

"No seals, no runes, no nothing… I can't do anything besides trying to blast the door open, and that might damage what's on the other side of it, which might be a library with Boltzman's Book in it…"

Genis shrugged.

"That's a lot of 'might's'…"

Naruto shrugged and turned around.

"Even so, it's not something we can afford to risk."

Raine nodded as she looked over the door again.

"Exactly. And blasting the door open might damage the structure itself."

Naruto sighed heavily, making everyone look at him.

"Which means we have to find the key to this place… We have to search the entire world for the key… This is going to be boring beyond belief…"

Lloyd nodded in agreement as they trudged back down the stairs, figuring out where to start. Kratos made the first suggestion.

"Naruto, how far are your clones capable of travelling before they dispel?"

Naruto shrugged.

"I'm not sure… I guess I could try it, though…"

Naruto formed about 20 clones.

"Alright, I want each of you to choose a town or village each and try and find the key to the Tower of Mana. When you finish searching your town, dispel. Got it?"

All of them nodded and scattered. Naruto looked around before looking back towards Luin.

"We may as well head back to Luin and wait. There's nothing more we can do for now."

All of them nodded and they headed back, the reports from the clones coming in slowly. The hours trickled passed until Naruto's head shot up.

"Got it! Clara, Dorr's wife has it and she's heading for Hima!"

They nodded and got up, quickly heading off in the direction of Hima.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A Day Later:**

The group ran up the long mountain trail that led to Hima as the sky began to turn red and the sun sink into the sea, finally reaching the top and hearing what they feared the most. There was a lot of commotion on the other side of the inn, making them move quickly around to see several armed men and a mage had surrounded Clara.

"Alright, it's weakening! Finish it off!"

Naruto ran forward just as the leader was about to bring his sword down for the final strike.

"STOP!"

They all looked at him as he ran up to them, panting from near exhaustion.

"What?!"

"That's not a monster… That's the Governor General's wife! She's had her Exphere removed…"

Their eyes widened in shock and the monster saw its chance, lumbering away, leaving a trail of blood behind her before Naruto collapsed to his knee.

"Seems we just made it…"

The man came up to him and glared at him.

"Everyone knows Dorr's wife died long ago!"

Naruto shook his head.

"Trust me, it is, I'm not lying…"

Colette walked over to the place where Clara had stood and reached down, picking up a strange object.

"Clara dropped this…"

Raine's eyes widened.

"That's the key to the Tower of Mana!"

Naruto nodded as many of them collapsed in relief. Naruto smiled slightly.

"While we're here, we might as well rest for the night and see how Pietro is doing…"

_AN: Ventures Colony._

They agreed and trudged wearily into the Inn, booking a room for the night as Naruto glare out the window.

'_Full moon tonight…'_

The group began walking up the stairs when Naruto called out to them.

"Guys, one thing I forgot to tell you about the Kyuubi."

They all looked back down at him as he shivered slightly. Raine raised an eyebrow at him.

"There's more?"

Naruto nodded.

"On full moons, it becomes almost impossible to suppress it, that's why I spend those nights alone. Sorry, but I can't join you tonight, for all of our safety."

Kratos nodded.

"Your honesty is appreciated, Naruto. However, if there is an emergency, how can we contact you?"

Naruto looked up at Kratos and smiled.

"I'll be at the place where I can get the closest to the currents of wind."

Kratos nodded, understanding instantly while Lloyd scratched his head in obvious confusion.

"The place where you can get closest to the currents of wind? Where's that?"

Colette smiled while Genis just shook his head.

"Forget it Lloyd…"

Lloyd looked at Genis and shrugged.

"Alright, whatever…"

Naruto turned around and opened the door before looking back.

"And Lloyd?"

Lloyd looked over the railing at Naruto.

"What?"

"Don't forget to train."

Lloyd grumbled and trudged into the room.

"Yes, dad…"

The door closed behind him and Naruto blinked several times.

"Did he just call me… Dad? Granted, it was probably an automatic, unconscious response, but…"

Naruto's head fell to one side as he contemplated it.

"I'm not sure if I should be offended or grateful…"

Laughing to himself, he walked outside and looked at the near twilight sky, disappearing in a puff of smoke and reappearing at the top of the mountain where he sat down and shivered, the Kyuubi's incessant calls for blood and slaughter becoming uncontrollable as he pulled his shirt off and glared at his stomach.

"You're beginning to get really god damn annoying, you know that you dumb ass fox? Learn to shut the hell up once in a while."

Naruto formed the hand seals and before the fox could take full control, slammed his fingers into his stomach and sealed it away before it could do any real damage, making himself slip into unconsciousness as the new seal appeared around the old double four element seal, his last thought ringing in his mind.

'_I won't be able to keep doing this for too much longer… The seal is weakening too much…'_

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning:**

Naruto awoke groggily, looking around and noticing it was still quite early. Because he had none of the Kyuubi's chakra or healing powers last night, he felt like he'd been hit by a heard of elephants. He raised a shaking hand and glared at it.

"Even if I unseal it now…. I can't do anything… I can't even mould my own chakra…"

Naruto just managed to form the hand seals, unsealing the special suppressant seal which Jiraiya had forced him to learn off by heart and felt the Kyuubi's chakra begin to freely intermix with his own again, much of the shaking leaving his hand before he put his shirt, jumper and jacket back on, shivering from the cold. He made a beeline, well, as much of a beeline as he could, considering the path zigzagged down the mountain, for the inn. When he got inside, he saw that as usual, only Kratos, Colette and Sheena were up. All of them looked towards the door as it opened and Naruto trudged in. He raised a hand at them in greeting as he sat down at the table. As far as he could see, they were the only four in the inn up. Naruto sat down at the table and sighed as he looked at the others.

"Sorry, I'm not really in a talkative mood for the most part this morning, however, something's been bugging me. Colette, this entire Journey of Regeneration… Ends in your death, doesn't it?"

All of their eyes widened at Naruto's claim before he yawned.

"I'm not going to tell anyone else, but I need to know. Am I supposed to protect you full stop, or just until you unleash the final seal?"

Colette's eyes narrowed before she nodded.

"Yes, the only way to regenerate the world is for me to die, but please, Naruto promise me you won't tell anyone?"

Naruto nodded.

"You're the client. What you say goes. You've got my word."

Sheena's eyes narrowed as she opened her mouth to exclaim when Naruto cut her off.

"Sheena, if the others hear this conversation, it will become messy. If we're going to discuss it, it should be quietly."

She nodded slowly before she looked at Colette.

"Are you really ok with that, Colette? Dying to save the world?"

She nodded.

"To be truthful, it's kind of like giving my life to save millions of others…"

Naruto nodded.

"I know that feeling… As the jailor of the Kyuubi, I go through exactly what you are now, Colette. It's cruel, but if you're born with the knowledge that you're only reason to exist is to sacrifice your life in one way or another to save everyone else's, you get used to it as the years go by."

She nodded slowly.

"Yes, that's what it feels like…"

Kratos stayed respectfully quiet while Sheena gritted her teeth.

"How can you two be so casual about this? Born only to die? That's rubbish!"

Naruto shook his head slowly as Colette spoke again, softly.

"Sheena, please don't say that…"

"We are born to be the saviours of our worlds. The pressure it places on you is something you will never be able to comprehend… Attitudes like yours, while meant with the best of intentions, are more harmful than helpful. One life in exchange for countless millions is a relatively small price to pay for the continued survival of our race."

Kratos and Colette nodded in agreement while Sheena looked at the ground sadly.

"I'm… I'm sorry…"

Kratos looked out the window, looking towards the sea, only just visible beyond the plains that surrounded the mountain.

"In any case, we had best get moving once everyone is prepared. Pietro's condition shows no signs of improvement, nor any signs of worsening."

All of them nodded as the door creaked open and a very drowsy Lloyd, Genis and Raine stumbled out of the room, obviously intent on getting some food. Luckily, the chefs had just finished the first of the morning food and brought it out, as the group plus a few other travellers began to eat the breakfast of various fruit, eggs, meat and toast. Not much was said during the meal, as most of them weren't ready for full intelligible conversations yet. As they had their fill, they left a tip in the jar on the counter as thanks before they trudged out and Kratos looked towards the plains.

"We had best get moving."

Everyone nodded and they began walking down the path when a man called out to them.

"Um, excuse me!"

They all turned back to him to see him laden down with bags that were ridiculously overfilled.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm one of Luin's residents and I've bought all this food for those that still live in the surrounding area that managed to get away from the Desians, but I can't possibly carry all this back by myself…"

They looked at each other and shrugged before Kratos nodded.

"We happen to be heading back in the direction of Luin. If you want, we can help you carry it."

The others nodded and the man's features lit up.

"Really? That's wonderful! Thank you very much!"

The man came up to them and they were about to help him when their vision went dark. Almost instantly, they got their vision back and they were in Luin by the fountain, much to their shock as the man smiled.

"Thank you very much! I can now help keep the former residents of Luin that are still around here fed!"

Naruto blinked several times before speaking.

"The hell just happened? Weren't we just in…"

Raine also nodded in confusion.

"Hima?"

Kratos looked around him, his eyes narrowed before he nodded.

"This is the real Luin, not an illusion… How did we…"

Lloyd scratched his head before trying to come up with an answer.

"Quick jump?"

Everyone looked at him for an explanation as Sheena rubbed her eyes.

"Quick jump? What's that?"

Lloyd sweat dropped and shook his head.

"Never mind…"

Naruto looked up at the sky, noticing the sun was still only just cresting over the mountains, the waxing moon still just visible in the sky, indicating it was still the same day, making him shake his head in disbelief.

"On a scale of one to ten, this rates a 15 on my weirdometer…"

Genis looked at Naruto in a deadpanned expression.

"Uh, Naruto? Fifteen is higher than ten…"

Naruto nodded.

"I know. This is by far the weirdest thing I've ever seen, and I've seen some really strange stuff…"

Everyone gave up trying to find an explanation for it and they set off towards the Tower of Mana.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** Finally! Sorry for the late updates ladies and gents, but lots of little annoying things kept me from updating. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, especially the joke at the very end for those of you who've played a lot of RPG's and know what happened. Yes, please feel free to leave your comments, reviews and the like. I'll get the next chapter up when I can.

Take care,

Synica/Specula.


	12. The Truth of the Twin Worlds

**A/N:** Well hello there again everyone. I know you've been waiting for the next chapter, and I tried messing around with it because this chapter is **big**. Not just as far as how many words are in it, but how much the plot develops and whatnot. Also, if you don't want major plotline spoilers laid out for the game:

**DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER**

This will be one of the most important chapters in the entire storyline as for how much about the plot is revealed, so read it at your own digression. Also, if you look closely towards the end of the chapter, you'll probably see where I got the title of this story from as the original quote is in there. Beyond that, I hope you all enjoy it and I hope the longer chapter length makes up for the wait.

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU/SPELL..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Two Worlds, Two Ninja:

Chapter Eleven:

The Truth of the Twin Worlds:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**At the Tower of Mana:**

The group walked up to the door and inserted the key, hearing it hiss and whirr open, giving them a face full of cold, stale air. They walked inside, noticing that lamps glowed dimly along the first room, just enough to light the cold, bleak interior to an extent they could just see a few feet in front of them. Naruto smirked as he looked around.

"Who said that the library wasn't going to be in the first room?"

Genis grumbled and hung his head in defeat before looking back up. The endless walls of books disappeared into the inky blackness, giving them no indication how long this room was. Sheena's eyes narrowed as she tried to let her vision adjust as the group carefully walked forward.

"You know, for a Seal of Light there sure is a lack of it in here…"

Many of them smirked at Sheena's light humour before Naruto stopped and looked around at the towering walls of leather bound tomes.

"I've always hated books, but for once I'm dying to know what some of these contain…"

Lloyd shrugged as both of them walked over to a wall and gently brushed their finger over the spines of the books, wiping off a think layer of dust before trying to read some of the titles.

"Frostbite and you, a beginner's guide to the Ice Element? Wow…"

Naruto immediately picked it off, memories of Haku floating back into his mind as he flicked it open carefully, skimming the pages before looking back at the others.

"We have to look for Boltzman's Book anyway, so we might as well get that out of the way now in case we have to leave the tower in a hurry when we break the seal."

Everyone agreed and all of them began looking through the shelves, Naruto forming a clone to do the searching for him while he sat down, trying to understand the method used to make wind cool water and how they interacted to form ice. Needless to say, it was well and truly beyond him, so Naruto shut it and gently put it away, looking over the shelves, absentmindedly noticing book names like 'Lexicon Demonica; a historical study of the dark arts' 'Magitechnology; the history of magic and machines' and many other titles. Lloyd grumbled and scratched his head as he finished looking through another shelf.

"What a boring place…"

If the already below average temperature in the room could drop any further, it did as the words left Lloyd's mouth and the source was none other than Raine.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"

Lloyd took a step back as a fuming Raine stood over him.

"Of all the places in the world you could say are boring, you call this treasure trove of knowledge BORING!?"

Kratos shut another book in his hand and looked at them.

"The amount of knowledge within these tomes is not only incalculable, but priceless, Lloyd. Some of theme tomes could be very well over a thousand years old."

Lloyd looked at Kratos and scratched his head as he thought.

"But if they're that old… Wouldn't we have made better stuff by now?"

Everyone stopped and looked at Lloyd in disbelief. He looked between them and shrugged.

"Did I say something?"

Genis was the first to break their silence.

"Wow, you actually made a good point Lloyd…"

Naruto smirked as Kratos lowered his head as he conceded the point.

"More than likely, Lloyd. However, looking at our past and seeing where we have come from may also help us see where we're going."

Raine nodded in agreement as something in Naruto's mind clicked, taking him back to one of Jiraiya's lessons during their trip.

"My Sensei actually told me something similar. I think it was something like 'time is like a tunnel. If you don't know where you started, how do you know where you'll finish and if it's the right side?'

Kratos again nodded.

"Precisely. That is why it's always a good idea to review one's history and correct the path they walk."

Lloyd just crossed his arms in stubborn defiance as they heard Colette's voice.

"Um, I think I found it…"

They all looked to her as she tried to reach up to the rack above, unable to do anything more than brush the base of the spine with the tip of her finger until Kratos walked over and pulled it off the shelf for her, making her smile.

"Thank you, Kratos."

He nodded and gently wiped the dust off the book, looking at the title.

"This is without a doubt the book."

The others came over and took a look at the book. When Sheena saw it, she smiled slightly.

"Now we'll be able to keep our promise to Pietro."

Rain gently took the book and placed it in her travel bag.

"Since I am the only healing artist in this group, I will keep the book and glean from it what I can."

Genis looked at her in a deadpanned expression.

"You just want to study it…"

Raine glared at Genis and he cowered away.

"Did you say something, Genis?"

"N… no…"

She smiled in an overly sweet fashion.

"I didn't think so."

Naruto who was next to Genis just leant down and covered his mouth with his hand as he spoke to him.

"Your sister's scary…"

Genis whispered back in the same hushed tone.

"I have to live with her…"

Naruto just shook his head in pity before they turned around, looking for some way to travel further into the tower before the clone called out.

"I think I found something!"

There was a click and hum as the room was suddenly illuminated by what appeared to be white orbs hanging from the ceiling and the orbs along the side of the room followed suit shortly after. Naruto nodded to the clone and it nodded back before dispelling. Lloyd scratched his head and sighed in relief.

"That's better. I could barely see anything…"

Straightening up, he saw something towards the end of the hallway as he pointed to it in recognition.

"Hey Professor! It's an Oracle Stone!"

All of them looked to where Lloyd was pointing noticing that there was indeed an Oracle Stone in front of a strange set of objects. Raine and Colette's eyes met and they nodded as the group proceeded towards the Oracle Stone, Colette placing her hand upon it as it glowed and activated. Looking around them, they noticed two doors of the same style and size. One directly ahead of them at the end of the long corridor and another off to the right hand side at the same end as the first. Expecting one or the other, or perhaps both to open up, they were rather perplexed when nothing seemed to happen. Genis seemed to vocalise their confusion.

"Nothing seems to have happened…"

Just as Genis finished speaking, the strange thing in front of them began humming and whirring as various parts of it emitted a soft light. Now they could see exactly what it was. In the middle was obviously the main part with three tendrils reaching out and meeting with a circular cable, cutting it cleanly in three different sections. At the points where the cables met were three pads that until now had been a lifeless, stale lavender colour, but now they burst into life, emitting a small gleam of light as the lavender pads brightened and began swirling with power. Raine nodded as she saw what was happening.

"I see… The Oracle Stone only activated this piece of Magitechnology…"

Looking at it carefully as Lloyd began grumbling, she took a step around the stone before looking back at the group.

"Lloyd, Genis, stand on the other two platforms."

Raine stood on the nearest one as Genis and Lloyd did as she asked. Genis stood on the closest one while Lloyd walked to the far one. Once he'd placed his full weight on it, they heard a distinct clicking noise and the door to the right groaned in protest as it opened. Smiling, Lloyd took several steps towards it.

"Oh wow, it opened-"

Before he could finish, the door began closing again, confusing Lloyd to no end. The rest of the group saw why it had closed, Raine explained it.

"These pads seem to need three people to stand on them to keep the door open. If we step off them, the door will close and lock."

Lloyd looked back at the pad before stepping back on it, the door reopening. Lloyd smiled and looked at Naruto.

"We can have your clones do it!"

Naruto shook his head.

"That may not be the best idea, Lloyd…"

Kratos nodded in agreement as did Sheena and Raine. Sheena looked towards the doors before she summed it up.

"If they've set a trap down here and we all charge in, if even one of Naruto's clones is destroyed, we'll be locked inside."

Lloyd immediately saw what that would indicate and he didn't like it at all. Kratos tapped the pommel of his sword idly as he thought.

"Then we will need to split into groups. Naruto, it would still be a wise idea to keep a clone or two with the group you will not be staying with in case something unexpected does happen."

Naruto nodded.

"Yeah…"

Raine nodded as she looked everyone over.

"Then we will need to decide who will go with the first group inside and who will wait here."

Raine and Kratos turned to Colette who smiled sheepishly.

"Ummm… I'll let Lloyd choose!"

Lloyd looked shocked for a second but nodded slowly.

"Alright… Well, there's seven of us… Eight with Naruto's clone so we should split into four per group. This is a seal, so we'll need Colette with the first group in case there's another Oracle Stone or something… I suppose I'll go as well. Naruto, can you make a clone for us?"

Naruto nodded and made a Kage Bunshin that stepped up with them before Naruto looked over the rest.

"Kratos, want to come with us?"

Kratos nodded slowly and stepped over to them as Lloyd stepped off the platform and Sheena stepped onto it. Looking over the groups, Lloyd nodded.

"This ok?"

Raine seemed to nod.

"Yes, this seems quite good. We will hold the door open for you. If you find some other way inside or need to get in contact with us, Naruto's clone will dispel. Be careful, we won't be able to send another one."

They nodded and the first group turned and walked through the door, seeing a massive winding staircase that stretched passed what they could see with their eyes.

"Oh come on, this staircase is huge! I don't want to walk up all those stairs!"

"Well then Lloyd, perhaps you had best wait with the other group and we will replace you?"

Lloyd seemed to immediately straighten up and they began their climb, the group still in the library chuckling at the exchange.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**With the First Group:**

Continuing to climb the stairs, Lloyd's group met a few monsters, making short work of them before continuing. As they reached the top of the stairs they saw a very ornate red door with golden designs around the edges. Lloyd flopped down and sighed in relief.

"Man, what a climb! I've never climbed that many stairs in my life!"

Colette smiled sweetly as Kratos said nothing. Naruto's clone just shook his head.

"We might as well prepare before opening the door…"

Kratos nodded.

"It would not surprise me if they had traps waiting for us when we did…"

All of them quickly rested, Kratos healing up any minor scrapes and cuts with his healing arts before they stood again, readying their weapons and pushed open the door. What they saw was by no means what they expected. Unlike what they had seen so far of the Tower of Mana, the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the objects within this room were completely unblemished in any way. No stains, no scuff marks, no dust, nothing. What got to them more was the fact that in the entire room, they could not see a single seam in the walls, floor or ceiling. Not even in the corners. It was like the entire thing was made from one object and made from only that, cut and bent exactly into the desired shape. To add to their shock was the colour of the room and its furnishings. Everything with one or two exceptions was the same brilliant shade of chrome silver. The only things that differentiated at all were two things. The first was in the very middle of the room. Sitting in the middle was a triangular prism sitting on its side, likely made of the same material as the walls. The other thing was a crimson red silk curtain covering what could be a display. The curtain, like the rest of the room was spotless. Walking into the room, Colette simply shook her head in disbelief.

"I've never seen anything like this..."

Kratos nodded slowly.

"Indeed… The fact that this room is completely devoid of any form of dust or other such signs of age is beyond my ability to reason as well…"

Lloyd blinked as he leant down and gently ran a hand over the floor, looking at his own reflection in it. If this had Kratos stumped, he knew he'd best not think about it or it would end up giving him a headache. Naruto's clone looked over the room and shook his head.

"I don't get it… How? How can there not be any dust? Some sort of Magitechnology?"

Kratos shook his head.

"In my travels, I have seen enough Magitechnology to understand that if there was some device to clean to this extent, it would be present in this room and very noticeable…"

Lloyd stood up and looked over the room and pointed at the curtain.

"Would it be behind that?"

The other's trained their eyes to what Lloyd was pointing at before nodding.

"I think if they put it anywhere in the room, it would be behind that..."

Naruto and Kratos nodded in agreement with Colette's deduction and all four stepped towards it. Naruto's clone gently grabbed the edge of the curtain and raised it before standing back as a flash of light was emitted from behind it. What he didn't expect was that the light would hit the Sorcerer's Ring and react, sending a stream of fire towards the curtain and catching it alight, making all four stand back as they saw what was behind it seemed to be some sort of silvered glass window that they couldn't see through. From the middle of that mirror, the beam emerged. When they turned around, they saw the beam had struck the object in the middle of the room, which seemed to be acting as some sort of device for changing the direction of the beam of light towards the wall to the right of where they entered. Their eyes widened further when the part of the wall that the light hit seemed to simply no longer be there, the beam of light continuing to the next room. Nodding, the group gently passed their hands through the beam, finding it to be non harmful and walked into the next room, seeing an almost identical room to the first. This time however, the triangular prism was not in the middle of the room. It was stationed close by near one of the corners. The beam of light however, seemed to hit the far wall and stop, no new doorway appearing. They looked around the room, trying to figure out how to proceed when Naruto's clone looked at the object.

"Maybe we need to change the beam's direction again to find the next door…"

Kratos nodded and all four of them moved to get ready to push the block that was as tall as they were and shocked when Naruto's clone began pushing it by himself, who was just as shocked.

"I can't even feel it moving… It's like there's no friction…"

Moving it into position, the beam of light focused on the southern wall, having no effect. Carefully turning it, a hole opened up in the north wall and they proceeded into a much larger room. From where they entered, they were standing on a balcony overlooking the floor where many of the prisms were as well as a number of light beams. Looking over the area, Colette was the first to point it out.

"Look! A Transporter pad!"

All of them looked to see the pad that would lead directly to the Seal itself. Lloyd smirked and sheathed his weapons.

"With the wall climbing, this'll be easy!"

Lloyd jumped off the side and began running towards the wall, placing his foot on it and getting ready to run up. However, as he took the second foot off the ground, he slid back down and fell on his back, shaking his head.

"What happened? I'm sure I used the right amount of mana…"

Trying again, Lloyd achieved exactly the same results. Kratos' eyes narrowed.

"Possibly the same reason the refocusing blocks seem to encounter no friction or resistance when moved on this surface also prevents us from sticking to it with mana."

Both Naruto and Colette nodded as Naruto tensed his legs and used mana to aid his jump, noticing that his movement wasn't impaired in the slightest.

"It doesn't affect using Mana to jump…"

Jumping down, he put a hand on Lloyd's shoulder.

"We can't do it like that. I'm the only one who can jump that kind of distance in the group so far and I doubt a single clone can handle everything."

Nodding, Lloyd stood back up and Naruto piggy backed him before jumping back up to where Colette and Kratos were looking at another piece of Magitechnology similar to the one that opened the first door on the ground level. Noticing a pad next to it, Lloyd stepped onto it and the machine hummed to life before the top of it opened and a light purple light emanated from the top of it and an image of Raine appeared.

"Professor Sage!"

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Second Group:**

As Raine was considering beginning to study Boltzman's book, the machine between them hummed to life and Lloyd appeared.

"_Professor Sage!"_

Raine smiled and looked at the machine and then at Lloyd.

"So you're alright, Lloyd?"

"_Professor Sage, how did you get inside this machine?"_

Raine smiled slightly, her sky blue locks swaying slightly as she shook her head.

"I'm not in the machine Lloyd. It seems that the machine you're using and the one we used to open the door are linked and let us communicate. We're still in the library."

Lloyd scratched his head and smiled.

"_Wow, cool!"_

Raine nodded slightly.

"Lloyd, what have you seen so far?"

"_Man, this place is really weird! The floors, walls, roofs and everything are like one thing! No tiles, no seams, nothing! And then there's these blocks that we used to refocus a beam of light that made the wall disappear! We're standing in a big room now on a balcony and we can see the transporter pad on the other one, but the floor won't let us use mana to stick to it! We can't go any further… Wait, what's this button do?"_

Raine grumbled at Lloyd's incorrect usage of grammar when he said 'roofs', but began listening intently to his description of what they had seen and was rather worried when Lloyd went to press a button, only to look ahead of her as the main door opened before looking back at Lloyd's image.

"Lloyd, whatever you pressed seemed to have opened up the other door for us. We're going to head on and hopefully meet up."

Lloyd nodded.

"_Alright. Be careful, Professor Sage."_

With that, Raine shut down the transmission and the group proceeded through the main door. They quickly found a large spiral flight of stairs and headed up it, encountering no monsters before they proceeded to the first room at the top. Naruto closed his eyes and gave his clone the command to dissipate, gaining all its memories and knowledge, quickly finding out what to do to proceed. The Professor was to say the least, ecstatic with this and refused to move on before Genis was forced to nearly drag her through the rooms. They quickly came to a large, open room when they were caught off guard by a yell.

"HEY! UP HERE!"

They looked up to see the first group standing on the balcony. Smiling they waved back before they looked at the room and realised there was a break in the railings of both balconies at the same part. Raine nodded slowly.

"Perhaps we have to direct these beams of light in some sort of pattern to gain access…"

Looking around them, they set to work, quickly moving a block to carefully shine one beam around the room before Naruto pointed.

"What about that thing there?"

They looked to see a spherical bubble shaped piece of glass in the middle of a gold sun design at the base of the wall directly beneath the openings of the railings. They turned the block again, shining it on it at a 45 degree angle from where the block was, achieving no result. Raine shook her head.

"It seems we have to try shining it onto it directly from head on…"

Naruto formed about ten clones and quickly had them move the blocks around, and within five minutes had them in a pattern that directed the light in a maze like pattern before pushing the final block in place, shining the beam of light directly into the bubble. A moment later, the area flashed a bright white before softening again, revealing that the gaps in the railings were now covered by a bridge of light. Not only that, but a section of the wall had disappeared to reveal a staircase leading up to the top level. The two groups quickly met up and they walked over to the now active Teleporter Pad, stepping on it and proceeding to the very top of the Tower of Mana.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Tower Aerie:**

The group ran up the final staircase to the top of the tower, where the Seal of Light was, surrounded by four stone columns. Almost immediately, the seal hissed and a blast of mana washed over them that put everyone on guard. A white and black glowing light appeared above the seal before the light flashed and the guardian took shape. Like all the other Seal Guardians, it was a twisted form of a majestic, mythical animal associated with that element. It looked like a winged unicorn, however, instead of white hair, the top of its hair was a sandy yellow, its legs and much of its head and tail as well as part of its wings were a deep, seething midnight blue. Around each of its legs was a golden halo. It reared up and let forth a battle cry before charging the group. All of them ducked out of the way and they charged it. Lloyd immediately began slashing at its head and chest, causing it to rear up and attempt to trample Lloyd, however both Kratos and Naruto just managed to block one hoof each with their weapons, using their full power to hold it up. Lloyd didn't waste his chance and jumped between them, slashing the beast down its chest and neck, causing it to scream in anguish before backing up, as did Kratos and Naruto. With no surprise, the massive wound began healing quickly. Again, they began the assault, Raine, Genis and Colette standing back with supportive and offensive spells while Lloyd, Kratos, Sheena and Naruto kept at it from up close. However, as the fight proceeded, they began noticing that the beast's rate of regeneration nor strength were fading or even remotely slowing. Dodging another kick, Naruto jumped back.

"It's not working!"

Just as Lloyd was going to make another slash at its belly, he tripped and lost his balance on a piece of stone that had been carved out of the floor from one of the spell impacts or another. The Guardian saw its chance and donkey kicked Lloyd against one of the columns, causing Kratos and Naruto to take their eyes off the battle for a moment to look at their injured comrade, which the guardian again took full advantage of. Booting both of them away, Sheena just managed to focus herself and dodge the hoof that was flying towards her head, jumping back as the other three stood up slowly, panting heavily.

"We need to try something else… Normal attacks seem to have no effect on it…"

Naruto and Lloyd charged it before Naruto took another hit, smashing against a column as it crumbled on top of him, bringing up a large cloud of dust. However, they head a laugh from above them.

"GOTCHA!"

Another Naruto fell on top of the Guardian and held onto it.

"Lloyd! Get out of here! I'm going to detonate!"

Lloyd's eyes widened as he did so, scrambling back, the Guardian trying to get the clone of its back which just hugged it for dear life before it began glowing and then exploded violently. The real Naruto stood up from the rubble, coughing and spluttering as he looked towards the smoking crater which the wind cleared to reveal nothing but a blackened blast mark on the floor. All signs of the Guardian were gone, and judging by the lack of mana, it was done for good this time. Naruto breathed heavily as he looked at the scorch mark.

"Only way to deal with High Speed Regeneration when there's no end in sight is to do so much damage to it over a very short period of time that it's either left too broken to regenerate or there's nothing left to regenerate from…"

Kratos nodded slowly as the group collapsed, thoroughly exhausted. Raine, Genis and Colette had nearly tapped themselves. If Naruto hadn't ended it when he did, the fight would have not had such a fortunate outcome. Finally, the group got back up and proceeded towards the seal. However, as they approached they were shocked to see the seal activate and release. However, the fleeting image of the being they saw with all other seals was not sleeting. This time, the image of the being materialised to reveal a very short woman in flowing green and purple robes, sitting on a crescent moon with long flowing blond hair. She carried a staff with her that she held over her knees.

"_**Where is Aska?"**_

The question struck them complete out of left field. However, she did not give them a chance to answer.

"_**Without Aska, I cannot form a Pact…"**_

At that point, she vanished and Remiel appeared as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Priestess Colette, you have done well in reaching this far. The Summon Spirit of Light now awakens and the World Regeneration continues. Now, offer your prayers."

Colette nodded.

"Yes, My Lord…"

Stepping up to the seal, Colette brought her hands up to pray.

"Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me your strength!"

"Receive this blessing, the gift of Angelic Power from Cruxis."

Colette's wings appeared and she floated upwards, the four spheres of light floating downwards and entering Colette's body. She flashed white briefly before she returned to the ground. Remiel nodded slowly.

"The time is almost at hand. Journey now, to the centre of the world and offer your prayers at the final Altar of Salvation and become a true angel."

Colette nodded slowly.

"Yes, my Lord."

With that, Remiel vanished and the group sighed, looking towards the ever present Tower of Salvation, their final destination. Naruto sighed and resealed his lance before rubbing the sweat off his forehead.

"Let's get going… I'm beat…"

The others were simply too tired to complain and nodded in agreement before they proceeded down the tower. Once they reached the front door however, Colette collapsed as Lloyd rushed to her side.

"Professor Sage! It's Colette's Angel Toxicosis!"

Nodding slowly, Raine bent down beside her.

"I see… Let's rest here for the night then…"

Colette tried to speak, but she could not, only a soft, rasping sound escaping her lips. Lloyd's eyes widened.

"Colette? What's wrong?"

Kratos took a sideways glance at Colette before answering.

"I would assume she's lost her voice."

They could do nothing but set up camp for the evening and try to comfort Colette as best they could. The group dumped their gear and began to make preparations for dinner.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Next Morning:**

Like most mornings, as the first rays of sunlight filtered over the horizon, Naruto began to stir before opening his eyes. Looking at the others, he spotted Kratos looking out of their camp, a distant look in his eyes. Naruto rubbed the sleep out of the corners of his eyes and looked drearily at Kratos.

"I swear, Kratos… You aren't an Angel, are you? I've never seen you sleep…"

Kratos smirked slightly at Naruto before looking at the slightly smoking logs that had been ablaze last night.

"I've travelled alone for a good few years, Naruto. Out of necessity, you learn to sleep lightly enough that you can stand guard and rest at the same time."

Naruto nodded slowly and looked into his backpack, pulling out the food scroll and opened it, beginning to dig into his personal rations.

"I suppose that makes sense…"

Offering some to Kratos, he just shook his head.

"No thank you. I've already caught some fresh breakfast while I got mine."

Naruto looked to where Kratos nodded towards and saw several rabbits, a deer and a number of various wild fruits and vegetables. Slowly, the others began to wake up as Naruto began to relight the fire to cook the meat. Breakfast today was a fairly sombre affair, little being said as they took care of their immediate personal needs. Finally, after they had all eaten, freshened up and taken care of anything else, they sat around the smouldering campfire. Raine looked at the Tower of Salvation rising over the mountains behind them before speaking.

"Our last goal is the Tower of Salvation. Getting to it on foot though is extremely difficult."

Kratos nodded.

"The Tower of Salvation is surrounded on all sides by jagged mountains or sea. Our best bet would be to head to a high vantage point and try and spot a relatively safe route there."

They all agreed before Sheena and Naruto looked at the others then each other before Sheena spoke.

"Hima would be a good place. It's got a very good vantage point of the area around the Tower of Salvation. Not only that, but Pietro is there, meaning we can keep our promise."

Kratos stood up, bucking his sword belt on.

"It's settled then. We'll head for Hima and decide our next move from there."

Raine shook her head.

"Before we do though, I need one more thing to help cure Pietro. According to Boltzman's book, the technique used requires some form of amplification device such as a Fragment of Mana or a Unicorn's Horn."

Naruto shook his head as he tried to remember.

"A Fragment of Mana or a Unicorn's Horn? Wait… Now I remember!"

Looking at him, Naruto smirked slightly.

"When I sent my clones out to search for the key to the Tower of Mana, I remember one of the clones dispelled near a lake south of here. At the bottom of the lake was a Unicorn. I put it aside thinking they were a regular thing on Sylvarant, so I said nothing. I'll lead the way there."

Sheena smirked slightly.

"Saves us the trouble of having to look blindly for one or the other."

The others nodded as they got to their feet, heading southwards following Naruto.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Half a Day's Travel South:**

Passing Luin, Naruto led the group up a steep hill into a forest nestled against the mountains and to a lake at the centre of it. Smiling slightly, Naruto pointed to the bottom of the lake.

"It's still there, thankfully…"

All of their eyes widened in shock at seeing that Naruto wasn't just telling the truth about the Unicorn, but that there was actually a real live Unicorn at the bottom of the lake. Raine looked sideways at Naruto.

"I don't think your trick at Azgard will work here, Naruto…"

Naruto simply nodded slowly.

"Yeah… All I can really do is summon Undine…"

Raine shook her head.

"I'll… Pass this time. Besides, I'm a full grown adult. That leaves Colette…"

Sheena spun on her heals and looked at Raine hotly.

"Are you saying I'm not qualified!?"

The group looked at Sheena questioningly.

"Qualified?"

Sheena realised what she had said before she nodded.

"Yeah. I can go as well."

Naruto nodded before turning back to the lake and began reaching for Undine.

"Alright, Colette and Sheena then."

Beginning to summon, Naruto began the chant.

"I call upon the, the Maiden of the Mist. Come, Undine!"

Undine appeared in a flash of blue mana, looking at Naruto.

"**What do you require?"**

"Undine, I need you to take Colette and Sheena to meet the Unicorn. Can you do that for me?"

She nodded slowly.

"**It will be done."**

Both Sheena and Colette stepped onto the water, finding it solid before it took them to the Unicorn which awoke abruptly and made its way to the surface. The Unicorn looked extremely old, its eyes black with blindness, its hair dull. It turned to face Colette, a perplexed look crossing its face as it took a step towards her.

_Martel?_

Both Sheena and Colette looked at the Unicorn in confusion. There was no sound when it had spoken, if it could be called speaking. It projected its own thoughts directly into their minds.

_Even with my blindness… This mana signature, this sickness… Martel? Is that really you?_

Colette's eyes widened before Sheena spoke for her.

"Martel? The Goddess Martel?"

The Unicorn looked towards Sheena for a moment.

_So she is not? I see… Your name is Sheena, and yours is Colette…Then Colette is the Chosen of Regeneration…What is it you need of me?_

Sheena looked downwards, almost ashamed to ask.

"We… We need your horn. Our group's healing arts are not strong enough to keep our promise…."

The Unicorn looked between them, silent for a moment before answering.

_So, it is not the Chosen you wish to heal, but another you made a pledge to? Very well. Take it._

The Unicorn's Horn flashed before it reappeared in front of Colette, which she gently grabbed. However, what they did not expect in the slightest was that the Unicorn began fading, becoming transparent.

"What's… What's happening to you!?"

_A Unicorn's Horn is its very life. My duty has been fulfilled._

Sheena shook her head wildly as Colette looked at the water below her in sorrow.

"What do you mean!?"

_Fear not. Through my death, another shall be reborn._

Finally, the Unicorn finished fading and vanished. Sheena and Colette said nothing for a moment before they turned back and walked towards the group. Finally, they stepped back onto land, both looking sullen. Lloyd was the first to speak.

"So? What happened?"

Sheena again looked at the ground and scuffed her feet nervously.

"The Unicorn… Gave us its horn."

Raine nodded slowly.

"So it's dead then."

Sheena and Colette looked up at her in disbelief. Sheena's look quickly morphed into a look of anger.

"You knew!?"

Raine nodded.

"A Unicorn's Horn is its life. However, in dieing, a new one is born. That is why Unicorns are seen as the very symbol of death and rebirth."

Sheena calmed down as Naruto looked at her.

"So another one has been reborn then?"

She nodded, looking over the lake.

"Yes, I'm sure of it."

Colette looked at Lloyd and handed him the Unicorn's Horn.

"So with this, we can get your…"

He stopped when he saw Colette gently take his hand and began tracing on it.

"Oh, I see! You're trying to tell me something… This… Is… Not… For… Me… We… Promised… Pietro…"

Lloyd nodded slowly.

"Yeah, we did. Are you sure, Colette?"

She nodded slowly as Lloyd took the horn and handed it to Raine who nodded.

"With this, I can complete the technique and a few other minor ones in Boltzman's book."

The group took one last look at the lake before they turned, heading for Hima to complete their promise and to decide how to achieve their final goal.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Two and a Half Days Later:**

As dusk fell nearly two and a half days later, the group trudged up the sloping mountain path to Hima. As they reached it, they nodded, heading into the Inn. Sheena approached the front desk, noticing the old woman behind it was dosing slightly. Shrugging, she and the group followed her up the stairs and into the room they had last seen Pietro in. Thankfully, he still was, Sophia still by his side. She looked up, shocked to see them back.

"You're back! Does that mean…"

Raine nodded.

"Yes. We're here to fulfil our end of the deal."

Sophia nodded, smiling slightly as Raine stepped up to the end of the bed, opening the book and flicking over several pages before nodding and beginning to channel her mana.

"O Holy one, grant us the breath of life! RESERRECTION!"

The room flashed pure white and slowly began to fade. Everyone remained silent for a moment until Pietro groaned and slowly opened his eyes, sitting up.

"Where… Am I?"

He looked around before noticing Sophia.

"Sophia? Then that means I made it to Hima!?"

She nodded.

"Yes. They helped cure you."

He looked at them, smiling and nodding.

"You have my gratitude. I originally needed to come to Hima so I could wait for the Chosen. I overheard some things in the ranch that I must tell her!"

Naruto smirked slightly.

"What a co incidence. The Chosen happens to be right here."

Naruto looked down at Colette and both Sophia's and Pietro's eyes widened.

"You… You are the Chosen of Mana?"

Colette nodded slowly and Pietro's smile widened considerably.

"Fate has guided us together. Chosen one, while in the ranch I heard the guards talk of many things. But two they talked about the most and stressed were the most important was the Angelus Project and the Mana Cannon. They never discussed any of the specific details of either of those things, all I know is that the Asgard Ranch is involved heavily in both projects."

Colette nodded and smiled while Kratos' eyes narrowed.

"The Mana Cannon? As in Thor's Hammer from the Holy Kharlan War?"

Pietro shook his head.

"I'm sorry I don't have more information. I know nothing of either of them beyond their names and that the Asgard Ranch is involved in both."

Naruto shook his head.

"That's more that enough. Don't worry though, whatever part Kvar and the Desians in the Asgard ranch played is finished. We killed Kvar and blew the Ranch sky high."

Pietro's eyes widened in shock.

"Blew it sky high? Did you get the prisoners out?"

Raine nodded.

"That was the first thing we did. Don't worry, they're all safe."

Pietro let out a long, relieved sign as his shoulders slacked.

"Thank you. You have my gratitude…"

Naruto nodded slowly before walking to the window and looking out at the Tower of Salvation.

"Our final goal is the Tower of Salvation. That was the other reason we came to Hima. We hoped to spot some way of getting there on foot, but it doesn't look promising…"

Pietro nodded.

"Getting on foot to the Tower of Salvation is impossible. But with the power of the Chosen, I'm sure you can find a way to do it."

Naruto sighed before turning around.

"I hope so. Right now, getting there is going to require nothing short of a pair of wings for each of us…"

After saying their farewells, the group walked downstairs and outside, deciding to head to the top of the mountain Hima was nestled against to get an unobstructed view of the surrounding area. As they reached the peak, they saw exactly how impossible the next step was going to be. Genis grunted and sighed in frustration.

"Naruto's right… We really are going to need wings to get there…"

"You there! Did I just hear someone saying they needed wings?"

The group turned around to see a short stocky man in blue overalls with glasses walking towards them. Kratos looked at the man with the same emotionless, guarded expression he usually did when taking to strangers that approached him.

"I believe he meant metaphorically. We need to reach the Tower of Salvation."

The man's eyes lit up as he cleared his throat.

"Welcome to Dragon Tours, the only way to get a close up look at the Tower of Salvation! My cute dragons and I will show you the way to the Tower of Salvation!"

Genis sweat dropped and glared at him, elbowing Lloyd and whispering to him.

"What kind of shady business is he running?"

The man smiled at them, readjusting his glasses before Lloyd nodded.

"It'll work. Alright! We want to ride the Dragons!"

The man smiled warmly.

"Great! You'll have the honour of being the very first customers of Dragon Tours. All up for the seven of you, that means four dragons which comes to… 8,000 Gald."

The entire group sweat dropped as Lloyd glared at the man.

"8,000 Gald? That's expensive…"

Raine shook her head.

"We don't have a choice… It's for the Journey of Regeneration. We'll pay it."

The man's eyes widened at that and looked over the group.

"Journey of Regeneration? Wait, are you… The Chosen's group!?"

The group nodded and the man began sweating bullets, shaking his hands.

"Oh nononono, I can't take money from the Chosen's group! That won't do at all! Please, put that money away!"

The entire group sweat dropped before Genis broke the silence.

"We… Haven't taken it out yet…"

The man nodded.

"I will have four high-class Dragons prepared for you here by tomorrow morning. Of course, I will not accept any money! However…"

The looked at him as he looked towards the Tower of Salvation.

"I've heard the area surrounding the Tower of Salvation is very dangerous… If possible… My cute little Dragons…"

Kratos nodded.

"We will return them to you once we have reached the Tower of Salvation."

The man brightened considerably.

"Thank you. I have preparations to be made, so I will take my leave."

The man turned and nearly scampered down the mountain back to Hima as the group tried to process what had just happened. Genis sighed.

"Well, at least we all have wings to reach the Tower of Salvation now…"

The others nodded as Naruto shook his head.

"Is it just me… Or is it that every time we encounter some sort of unbeatable obstacle, someone simply appears with some way to help us overcome it with the most perfect timing? Doesn't that seem a little too cliché and convenient to you?"

Sheena nodded slowly.

"I have to agree… It seems almost too picturesque to be real…"

Kratos simply turned and took a step to head back towards Hima.

"Whatever the circumstances may be, we now have a way to reach the final seal in the Tower of Salvation."

The others nodded and Naruto shrugged.

"I suppose…"

The group headed back down the mountain to Hima, standing outside the Inn in a circle.

"We're finally down to the last seal…"

Everyone noticed the sombre mood in the air, simply nodding. Raine looked towards the now completely set sun.

"Let's split up for the night, but don't go outside the village, understood?"

Everyone nodded and went their own ways. Naruto and Sheena headed towards the cliff nearby and leant against it.

"Tomorrow, Sylvarant will be saved…"

Naruto looked at her.

"And I'm still no closer to finding any way back home. What will you do?"

Sheena shook her head.

"I don't know… The only thing I guess I can do is believe in the Chosen…"

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Colette?"

She nodded.

"At least Sylvarant's Chosen seems to be trustworthy…"

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Sylvarant's Chosen? So Tethe'alla has its own?"

Sheena nodded.

"Yup. Two Worlds, Two Chosen."

Naruto nodded slowly.

"So what's your world's Chosen like?"

Sheena grunted.

"I can't stand him… He's a horrid womaniser…"

Naruto rolled his eyes before looking over the cliff at the Tower of Salvation.

"I get the feeling that if I'm ever going home, the answers are probably on Thethe'alla."

Sheena said nothing but looked up at the sky.

"They might. Speaking of which, you joined to escort the chosen in return for looking for a way home right? What will you do tomorrow?"

Naruto shrugged.

"I seriously doubt there's much I can do… We'll see what happens…"

Sheena nodded and both of them remained there before Naruto looked at her sternly.

"Sheena, you still have the seal I gave you, right?"

She nodded, her eyes hardening.

"Yeah. I don't know what will happen tomorrow, but if I have to use it, I will."

Naruto nodded.

"Thanks."

Both of them stayed out for another 15 minutes before returning to the Inn and getting ready for bed.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Early Next Morning:**

Just before dawn, Kratos' eyes opened. He stood up slowly and quietly grabbed his sword belt and walked out the door, silently closing it behind him. However, Lloyd was in a light, fitful sleep and the door closing was all that was needed to wake him up. Looking over the room, he noticed Kratos was no longer there.

"What's Kratos doing outside at this hour…"

Standing up, Lloyd grabbed his swords and headed out, seeing Kratos gently rubbing Noishe's chin.

"Noishe, I need you to look after Lloyd for me…"

Noishe whined softly.

"I have things I must do. In my place, I need you to-"

At that point, a blue turquoise haired man appeared out of thin air to his side and began charging a blast of energy. Lloyd became fully awake as the energy almost immediately became ready to discharge.

"KRATOS! LOOK OUT!"

Kratos' hand immediately went to his sheath and drew his sword, slicing the assassin across the side with a savage slice that caused him to fall back and vanish in the same manner he appeared. Lloyd ran up to him as Kratos carefully sheathed his sword.

"Kratos, are you ok?"

He nodded slowly and stood back up.

"Lloyd, thank you. If you hadn't called out at that point, I doubt I would have been 'ok'…"

Lloyd nodded slowly.

"It was nothing… More importantly, who was that?"

Kratos remained motionless as he answered.

"I would assume it's that assassin. He managed to get away, but…"

Kratos and Lloyd looked at the ground that was streaked in the assassin's blood from the blow.

"I gave him an injury he will not soon forget."

Lloyd nodded in agreement.

"Still, I have a feeling I've seen him somewhere before…"

Kratos nodded.

"It's possible, but we will get no where standing here. Let's get back to the Inn. Everyone else is probably getting up."

Lloyd nodded.

"Yeah…"

Kratos began turning towards the Inn, but stopped when he was facing Lloyd.

"Lloyd."

Lloyd turned to him and looked at him questioningly.

"Huh? What is it?"

"… Don't die."

Lloyd's eyes widened in incomprehension.

"Um, ok sure… So, what's up all of a sudden?"

Kratos began walking towards the Inn.

"Don't worry about it."

Lloyd watched his retreating back and just shook his head.

"How can he tell me not to worry about it after he says something like that?"

Shrugging, he took a step back towards the Inn when he felt something under his boot. Stopping and taking the boot away, he saw a blood splattered ring that was right next to where the Assassin had been standing. Looking over it, Lloyd noticed something engraved on the inside of the ring.

"What's this? There's some strange letters carved into it…"

Pocketing it, Lloyd returned to the Inn to see everyone else was indeed getting up, preparing for the final leg of their journey.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Later That Morning:**

The group moved to the top of the mountain, noticing that the man they had spoken to the night before was waiting for them with four dragons, each one with a harness and saddle. He smiled at them.

"Welcome back! As promised, I have the four dragons for you. Only two people can fit to one dragon, so please choose who you will fly with and who will fly alone."

Kratos spoke first.

"I will fly with the Chosen. Protecting her is what I was hired to do."

The others shrugged, letting it pass. Lloyd looked at the others before shrugging.

"I'll fly with Genis then."

Naruto looked between the Professor and Sheena.

"I'll fly with Sheena, I suppose."

Raine nodded, boarding her own dragon as the others paired up. Colette's and Kratos' dragon took off immediately, heading to the Tower of Salvation while the others boarded up. Naruto sighed.

"I get the felling something big is going to happen…"

Sheena nodded.

"Sylvarant will be saved and Tethe'alla will be…"

Naruto shook his head.

"Both of us are concerned for our own world, our own friends back home. We may find the answers we seek inside. Let's go!"

Sheena nodded and their dragon took off, Lloyd and Genis' dragon next and the professor's dragon last as they flew to the Tower of Salvation. The lead Kratos and Colette had on them was considerable, and it looked to be increasing slightly. They reached the tower first, at that point no longer visible while the others landed next to each other, sending the dragons back before running up the stairs and into the Tower of Salvation. When they went inside, they were shocked by what they saw. The walls were a glowing turquoise blue, reaching up and down beyond what they could see. However, what caught their eyes the most was a floating pattern of black objects that formed a double helix shape in the middle of the room. Genis broke the silence.

"What are those?"

Naruto's eyes widened in fear and horror when he realised what they were.

"Caskets…"

Their eyes widened as they looked into the ones they could see to, noticing each and every one of them was filled with someone wearing a Cruxis Crystal.

"These are… all the Chosen that failed…"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he charged to the end of the walkway and stood on the platform and teleported to what he guessed was the final seal, the others hot on his heels. When they got there, they couldn't believe their eyes. Colette was kneeling atop a raised altar, her hands clasped in prayer.

"What!?"

At that point, Remiel appeared, landing in front of Colette, a keen look in his eyes.

"Now my daughter… Release the Final Seal! In doing so, you will complete the final sacrifice of your human existence-your heart and your memory. By doing so of your own free will, you will become a true angel!"

Everyone recoils at this, none of them wanting to believe what they had just heard. Lloyd shook his head.

"Sacrifice her heart and memory?"

Genis looked to Lloyd pleadingly, almost begging him to tell him it wasn't true.

"Colette's going to forget about us?!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as Raine explained.

"Colette's human life will now end, and she will be reborn as an angel."

Naruto was silent for a moment before his eyes narrowed.

"I knew it… This entire bullshit about the Chosen, the seals, Martel and Angels… It's all nothing but a farce."

Everyone looked at Naruto for an explanation as he stabbed a finger accusingly at Remiel.

"You never needed Colette or any Chosen to open the seals… This entire world… It's wrong… I can see from one side of a continent to another from a high vantage point, the world is far too small to be a proper world, the guardians having similar mana signatures to you, the Desians abhorrently high technology level in relation to the rest of Sylvarant… You set this entire thing up, right from the world go. The Chosen is completely unnecessary for this whole World Regeneration bullshit! You probably have a big red button up there that will do the entire thing for you! And to actually unleash the Desians on us as well…"

The group became wary as red chakra began seeping out of Naruto. Lloyd turned to Raine worriedly.

"Professor Sage, what is he talking about?"

Raine shook her head sadly.

"Lloyd, I'm sorry. I promised Colette I wouldn't say anything. Colette will give up her life in order to regenerate the world. Becoming an angel means dying."

Remiel smirked and shook his head.

"That's not quite correct. The Chosen's heart will die, and her body will be offered to the Goddess Martel. By offering her body, Colette will revive the Goddess. This is the true nature of the world regeneration! The revival of the Goddess Martel...is the revival of the world itself!"

"**Shut up…"**

Everyone turned to see the red chakra explode off Naruto as he slowly raised his head, everyone present staring in shock at Naruto's blood red, slitted pupil eyes, his massive canines and his claw like nails.

"**I will never forgive you…"**

All of them reeled back under the explosion of chakra as the entire platform shook.

"Wha…. What is this mana? It's massive!"

"This mana… No, this chakra… It's the Kyuubi…"

Raine turned to Sheena as she explained.

"When Naruto's anger reaches its limits, he goes berserk and taps into the Kyuubi's power… I'd always known the Kyuubi no Yoko was vastly powerful, but this…. This isn't even one tails' worth of chakra!"

Raine's eyes widened at the massive red chakra blasting off Naruto.

"This isn't even one tails' worth? This is incredible…"

Naruto crouched down and stared at Remiel.

"**I will never forgive you for this… Sacrificing people to bring back the dead…. DIE! HRRRAAAAAA!"**

Naruto unleashed a torrent of the Kyuubi's chakra from his fist that Remiel dodged as his eyes widened when Naruto charged him and landed a sickening combo to his chest and face before he booted him into a column and let him fall to the ground as the column fell into the abyss. Remiel quickly got back up and formed a bow of light and smirked as Naruto charged right for him. Remiel laughed darkly as he took aim.

"Even if you tap the power of Satan…"

Remiel unleashed the trio of arrows as Naruto blasted his chakra to deflect them, his eyes widening as it pierced straight through the chakra shield and through his chest, nailing him to another column with his arms stretched and two arrows impaling his wrists as Remiel laughed.

"The power of the light will always smite those with a wicked heart!"

Everyone stared in horror as Remiel raised a hand and snapped his fingers and the arrows of light exploded, making Naruto roar in pain and slump to the ground. Sheena got up a look of pure disbelief and horror in her eyes.

"NARUTO!"

Sheena glared at Remiel as both Lloyd and Raine got up and drew their weapons as Remiel laughed at them.

"Who would have thought you would have sided with the legions of hell to complete your mission?"

"Shut up…"

All of them looked at Sheena as she glared at Remiel.

"If anyone is from the legions of hell here, it's you… Naruto was one of the bravest, most intelligent, kind hearted people I've ever met! He was born like that! If anything, he's a hero for holding the most powerful demon in existence back with sheer willpower alone! You're gonna pay for this!"

Sheena and Lloyd charged in and engaged Remiel in hand to hand combat. Remiel grunted as he ducked a sword swing from Lloyd.

"How impudent!"

Sheena vanished and reappeared behind Remiel as she began pummelling his back with her sealing card techniques. Remiel saw his chance and flew up, leaving both Lloyd and Sheena to stumble forward as he quickly charged his spell.

"Judgement Ray!"

A beam of light broke the heavens and struck Sheena, making her scream in agony. Her vision was bathed in pure white, but not the sort of peaceful pure white. This white seared her to the very soul and beyond. The beam finished and Sheena's scream became nothing more than a pained sigh as she crumpled to the ground. Remiel laughed manically as he landed.

"None shall defy the rule of heaven!"

"You bastard!"

Remiel turned around just in time to see Lloyd shover his sword straight through his stomach.

"How dare you do that to Sheena!"

He stabbed his second sword straight through his chest.

"How dare you do that to my Teacher, Naruto!"

Remiel threw up a torrent of blood and then coughed up several hunks of it before Lloyd booted him between the swords and slammed him into the wall.

"And how dare you do that to Colette! You bastard… Burn in hell!"

Lloyd charged forward as Remiel stared in horror at him as Lloyd drove his sword straight through Remiel's neck and ended his life almost instantly. Raine and Genis looked in disbelief at the scene of carnage as Lloyd fell to his knees and began sobbing.

"God dammit…"

Raine shook her head as she ran over and quickly used Resurrection on both of them. Sheena was up almost instantly with Raine's help while Naruto was a lot slower to respond, but he slowly came around.

"Colette…. Have you really forgotten me?"

They turned to see Lloyd looking at her, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"You're wasting your time…"

At that moment, Kratos stepped out from behind one of the columns and looked down icily at Lloyd.

"Not only has she lost her memory, she's lost the soul to listen to your words."

Naruto glared up at Kratos.

"I had a suspicion… I really didn't want to jump to it, but now we have proof… You're part of Cruxis, aren't you, Kratos? You're no ordinary mercenary… Your job was to make sure that Colette succeeded at any cost, and earnt money while you did it…"

At that point, Remiel struggled to look upwards.

"Lord Kratos… have… Pity on me…"

Kratos glared down at Remiel.

"Did you forget I was once one of those 'inferior beings', Remiel? Do you seek help from that which you dispise the most?"

Naruto stood up and smirked.

"So you admit it too…"

Kratos looked back down at Naruto as Remiel collapsed.

"I am as human as you are Naruto. Both of us have lost part of our humanity in exchange for nearly eternal life or in your case, near invulnerability. You rely on the powers of hell, while I rely on the powers of heaven. Neither of us are truly human."

At that point, Naruto felt something he had never felt before when not possessed by the Kyuubi. Not even when Akatsuki had killed Gaara did he feel this. Now, he wanted to slaughter Kratos in the most horrific, bloody and inhumane manner possible. He didn't care what it would cost him or anyone else, all he wanted was Kratos still beating heart in his hand. Growling, Naruto charged Kratos who immediately went on the defensive, blocking Naruto with his shield before trying to swipe at him, causing Naruto to jump back. At this point, both the orange-red chakra of the Kyuubi and Naruto's own sky blue chakra began to intermingle and mix, forming a disgusting, vile purple chakra that even made Kratos reel. Naruto lowered himself onto all fours and howled before charging Kratos again, hissing and snarling as they exchanged blow for blow. Lloyd drew his swords, his own anger boiling over and changed him as he screamed in anger. While Kratos may have just been able to fend off Naruto's near psychotic rage, he could not deal with two people at once. Soon enough, he was on his knees, both Naruto and Lloyd standing over him to deliver the final blow.

"**LeT's… FiNnIsH tHiS!"**

Lloyd nodded and both brought their hands down, Naruto aiming to rake Kratos' heart from his chest, Lloyd aiming to stand him through the neck, however, they suddenly felt themselves paralysed, unable to move. Slowly moving their eyes upwards, they saw the source of it. Another angel was descending, instead of the golden yellow light that Remiel used, this one was flashing every colour in existence faster than the eye could conceive. When the ball flashed, the figure they saw baffled them. This one had giant violet purple wings, long, flowing golden hair and an aura that simply forced all those present to fall to their knees under its tremendous power. The man smirked slightly as he looked at Kratos.

"I guess not even you could bring yourself to defeat such a pair of opponents…"

Looking towards Naruto, a deep scowl covered his face.

"It's been a long, long time, hasn't it Kyuubi no Yoko?"

Almost immediately, Naruto felt the flow of Kyuubi's chakra begin to fade and he felt something coming from the fox that he never expected the fox capable of feeling. And not just in a minute amount either. It was fear. Pure, unmitigated terror of the being before them. Naruto glared at him.

"How do you know of the Kyuubi? Who are you?"

The man sighed and looked down at the group as Kratos looked up at him.

"Lord… Yggdrasil…"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he looked at Kratos before turning back to Yggdrasil.

"So, the leader of Cruxis, Yggdrasil… How do you know the Kyuubi?"

Yggdrasil smirked.

"So, this is the one known as Naruto… I see, you do bare a stunning resemblance… However, your question is a valid one. You see, long ago the Bijuu rampaged across our world, during the Holy Kharlan War was when they were at their prime, killing humans, elves and everything in between indiscriminately. However, they were given a choice; serve Cruxis or be banished from this world for eternity. Only one agreed to do so, the one you know as Shichibi. The rest, including the Kyuubi now sealed within you were banished to another world for defying the might of the Cruxis Organisation, the world known as Gaia. I see you've dealt with them in a very interesting manner."

Naruto glared at him.

"So then, would I be correct in assuming you're the leader of Cruxis and the Desians?"

Yggdrasil smirked.

"You are indeed correct. I am the leader of both Organisations."

With that, everyone prepared to engage him as Yggdrasil shot forward, smashing Sheena and Naruto to the side almost instantly using his mana to smash Genis and Raine to the wall, unconscious as they hit, Sheena falling shortly after. Naruto, already exhausted from his fights with Remiel and Kratos proved little challenge and was quickly defeated. Only Lloyd was left standing. At that point, Yggdrasil clicked his fingers and a purple sword appeared at the base of the seal, rising through the air and hovering before Yggdrasil. Smirking, he activated the sword, a simply blast of the power sending Lloyd flying into a stone pillar, it's already badly damage surface giving way and falling soundlessly into the abyss below. Lloyd slumped forward, stabbing his sword into the ground to try and keep him upright. Yggdrasil let the sword float back to the ground and smirked victoriously.

"Kratos, I trust you have no objections?"

Kratos said nothing, making Yggdrasil's smirk widen.

"Farewell…"

Yggdrasil's eyes widened as he dodged to the left, a blast of mana impacting the column behind him as Botta and his subordinates charged up the platform.

"Damn! The Chosen has already become an Angel! We have no choice! We're taking her back with us alive!"

The three in front of Botta charged Yggdrasil, screaming their battle cries as the remaining ones grabbed the others as well as Colette and quickly returned to Botta. Yggdrasil vaporised the three charging him and watched as the Renegades disappeared into the temporary teleporter beam. Yggdrasil sighed and lowered his hand.

"Renegades… as irritating as ever. Still, it is of little consequence. Kratos, let us leave."

Kratos nodded.

"As you wish…"

Yggdrasil disappeared in the multicoloured ball of light before returning skywards. Kratos sheathed his weapon and looked towards the door.

"Hmmm… Saved by the Renegades… Don't die, Lloyd…"

He looked skywards and vanished in a ball of blue light, following Yggdrasil.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** Well, there you have it. Bombshells, revelations, fight scenes and drama. What more could you want from a chapter? As I said in the top author's notes, this chapter will be one of the biggest, most critical and plot line developing chapter out of any that spans the entire story, and believe me, we're only just getting started. Anyway, I hope the chapter's length made up for the wait, and sorry to keep you guys hanging, but I will try and bring out the next chapter that has a summary scene at the beginning as soon as possible. Until then, read, review and hopefully, enjoy. One last thing. I get the impression that I rushed this chapter, especially after the Seal of Light and the Tower of Mana. If anyone can confirm for me that it looks like it to you, I'd be grateful. Well, take care.

Specula/Synica.


	13. Thethe'alla, Here we Come!

**A/N:** A lot of people said last chapter was fairly rushed in the mid section when I asked if it was. To be honest though, after playing back through the section, it took me 10 minutes from when I finished Tower of Mana and the Seal of Light to get to the point where the Renegades saved the team, so in retrospect, it wasn't that fast relative to what actually happened. Even the characters were like 'huh' and that's displayed in the next scene which is essentially copied and pasted straight from the game dialogue minus the fitting of Naruto's world into it. The first part of this chapter will be a summary and explanation chapter to lay everything out to date. So if you're confused about the plot, read this one thoroughly.

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU/SPELL..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Two Worlds, Two Ninja:

Chapter Twelve:

Tethe'alla, Here we Come!

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Several Days After the Tower of Salvation:**

Lloyd grit his teeth and began slowly opening his eyes, noticing that he was laying on something soft. He heard a voice next to him as he saw Genis looking over him.

"Lloyd! You're finally awake!"

Struggling into a sitting position, Lloyd looked to see everyone was present.

"Ugh… Where are we?"

His eyes shot open as the events came back to him and began looking around wildly.

"Where's Colette!?"

Jumping off the bed, he ran to the middle of the room where Colette was standing, staring vacantly at the wall. Sheena shook her head.

"She doesn't respond to anything we say…"

Naruto shook her head.

"She also reacts violently if she is placed in danger and lashes out, be it against an enemy or a friend…"

Lloyd hung his head in defeat.

"Dammit…"

Raine looked over the walls before looking back at Lloyd.

"Lloyd, do you remember this place? We're in Triet Desert. Remember? This is the base where you were captured before."

Lloyd's eyes shot open.

"The Desian Base!?"

Naruto shook his head.

"They're not Desians. They're a group who oppose Cruxis and the Desians called the Renegades. Apparently, they helped Sheena get to this world in the first place."

Lloyd looked at Naruto in shock, Sheena nodding to indicate it was true.

"What? What do you mean?"

Genis just sat on the edge of the bed and sighed.

"So many things have happened at once… I'm confused to…"

Naruto sat at a chair around the table.

"We might as well go over what we do know to help ourselves and fill Lloyd in while we're at it."

No one disagreed and they all took a seat. Naruto sat down and sighed.

"We'll start with the here and now and work our way back. When we were about to be killed at the Tower of Salvation, we were rescued by the Desian look alike organisation that owns and runs this base. They call themselves the Renegades."

Lloyd looked at Naruto, trying to work it out.

"So the Renegades aren't actually Desians?"

Naruto nodded.

"That's probably why they made comments like 'they still think we're Desians' and the like whenever we met them. However, the Renegades are not in league with the Desians or Cruxis. In fact, they're an organised underground resistance group to both of them. As for why they dress similarly, I'd say it's so they can impersonate them and blame them for something they did that would cause anger at the Desians."

Lloyd nodded several times.

"Alright, that makes sense… But what about that Angel… Yggdrasil or whatever?"

Naruto leaned back in his chair.

"Now this is where it start's getting interesting. As Yggdrasil said to us when he first appeared at the Tower of Salvation, he is the leader of both Cruxis and the Desians, which means that the Desians and Cruxis do not oppose each other, but rather are just two parts of the same Organisation. Desians carry out the dirty work while Cruxis handles all the big decision making."

Lloyd just shook his head.

"Woah, wait… How? How is that even possible?"

Naruto sighed and leaned back.

"Lloyd, think about this. Angels are seen as majestic beings that only appear to people when something big happens, but if they want to do things that take a hands on approach, they cannot do it or people's faith in taking their spoken word for law would soon disappear. They need someone else down there to do all the hard work so they can continue manipulating the people. Those are the Desians. The Desians push people's faith to its breaking point, and they turn to Cruxis for inspiration, strength and courage. And at that point, a few carefully chosen words would put everyone right into Cruxis' hand. It's disgusting, but that's how it seems to work."

The others nodded slowly. Lloyd simply shook his head in disbelief.

"But then, where does Kratos fit into this?"

Naruto sighed and tapped a finger on the table.

"To keep it short, Kratos is one of the Four Seraphim. In other words, he's essentially one of Yggdrasil's right hand men in Cruxis."

Sighing, Naruto sat back.

"On top of that, I thought I would be able to keep my world's problems and these world's problems separate, but that's not possible anymore."

Lloyd looked up as Naruto looked him dead in the eye.

"Long ago, as Yggdrasil said, the nine Bijuu were given an ultimatum; serve us or be banished from our world forever. Eight of the nine immediately turned on Cruxis and began ripping through the people and towns Cruxis controlled, however Cruxis had expected this and banished them using a complex sealing and teleportation method. That was about four thousand years ago."

Lloyd nodded slowly.

"Then how does that relate back to this?"

Naruto leaned back in the chair.

"Over the four thousand years of banishment on my world, the Bijuu managed to put aside their differences in order to find a way back here, a method known as the Soul Gate. In order to power the gate, they needed souls. Lots of them, which also explains why they rampaged and killed everyone they could on my world. Both ends of the gate are positioned so that it would allow the Bijuu to travel back to this world and get their revenge on Yggdrasil and Cruxis. However, Cruxis opened contact with out world and helped form an organisation in order to stop it happening. That organisation was known as Akatsuki. In exchange for keeping the Bijuu there, Cruxis told them of a way that they could capture and harness the Bijuu to build a weapon of tremendous power, a weapon so powerful that it had the potential to destroy entire planets with enough energy. That was called the Mana Cannon, something which the Desians are also secretly attempting to recreate here on Sylvarant."

Lloyd just shook his head.

"So now we not only face Cruxis and the Desians, but this Akatsuki group as well?"

Naruto nodded slowly.

"In other words, in order to power their Mana Cannon, they are draining the Bijuu from their containers and storing them, using them as a power generator for their Mana Cannon. However, they also need Shichibi, so regardless of whether or not Akatsuki and Cruxis will attempt to eliminate each other when they do come for Shichibi, Akatsuki will invade at the least, Sylvarant and will stop at nothing to get it."

Clutching his head, Lloyd tried to figure this out.

"What does it mean for us then?"

Naruto leant on the table with one elbow and stared steely at Lloyd.

"That means that all three worlds are now about to essentially go to war, a three sided battle royal, last one standing is the winner."

Lloyd shook his head.

"Gah, I've never felt so helpless in my life! It's like we're nothing compared to what's going on!"

Most of them agreed with Lloyd there. They were, at best, nothing more than pawns in a game that went way over their heads. At that point, the door opened and a Renegade foot soldier came into the room, looking at Lloyd.

"Ah, you're awake. Then please come with me to the next room, our leader awaits you."

Nodding to each other, they stood up and followed the solider out the door and down the hallway until he stopped outside the door and stood guard.

"Our leader awaits you inside."

Stepping through the doors, the group saw Botta talking with a caped man with turquoise blue hair tied back in a low ponytail. Upon hearing the door opened, he turned to them.

"Ah, you're finally awake."

Lloyd looked at both of them guardedly.

"Are you… the Renegades?"

"Correct. We are an underground resistance group dedicated to fighting the Desians, or rather, the Cruxis."

Lloyd sighed, tapping his finger on the pommel of one of his blades.

"So Cruxis and the Desians really are the same organisation!"

Botta nodded.

"Correct. Cruxis controls the Church of Martel in the open and operates the Desians behind the scenes. The Desians are a subordinate organisation within Cruxis."

The other one looked over the group blandly.

"The Church of Martel is nothing more than an instrument created by Cruxis to rule the world. Those who call themselves angels are really nothing more than half-elves who've evolved using a special type of Exsphere called a Cruxis Crystal. They aren't deities or anything of the sort. Of course, the Church of Martel and the Chosen know nothing about that."

Genis' eyes widened considerably.

"They're half elves too?"

Botta nodded.

"The majority of the Desians, Cruxis and us, the Renegades are all half elves."

Lloyd shook his head.

"What's Cruxis trying to do? Are they really doing this just to rule the world?"

The other man sighed and looked at Lloyd.

"Do you intend for us to explain everything? Try using your own head a little."

Naruto looked back at them.

"Raine and I were discussing this yesterday when we woke up. Cruxis seems to be going to an awful lot of trouble to rule the world. And like I figured out at the Tower of Salvation, the Chosen has next to nothing to do with the actual reversal of the mana flow, does it? Why even bother with the Chosen at all? With what we know now, it almost looks like the Chosen is nothing more than a scapegoat if it all goes wrong…"

The man smirked slightly.

"I'm rather impressed… It seems some of you have a bit more intelligence that I thought. Yes, the Chosen has no need for direct involvement as far as the mana flow reversals go. However, they control the Mana bloodline through marriages for another reason. The leader of Cruxis intends to revive Martel, and to do that, he requires a body with a DNA signature as close as possible to the original Martel. That is why they marriages are controlled."

Naruto sighed and looked at the roof in a bored manner.

"That makes sense, I suppose…"

Raine looked at them sternly.

"The only thing left is why two entwined worlds Tethe'alla and Sylvarant compete for mana."

The man next to Botta nodded.

"As Naruto said at the Tower of Salvation, this world is not enough to exist by itself. A world this small has insufficient gravity to hold its own atmosphere to it. If you found a world like this anywhere else, it would be nothing but a desolate ball of rock and dirt floating in space, completely devoid of all life. This world and Tethe'alla were originally two halves of one world. The one who created this twisted world was the Cruxis leader, Yggdrasil."

Their eyes widened in astonishment as Naruto sighed.

"Now it makes sense why Kyuubi became paralysed in fear and withdrew his chakra at the Tower of Salvation when Yggdrasil appeared… No mere person by themselves has that kind of power…"

Genis shook his head.

"Create a world? No one can do that!"

Sighing, the man looked at Botta for a moment.

"If that's what you believe, then our conversation ends here."

He turned and began walking towards the door before Lloyd spoke up.

"Wait, if Yggdrasil was the one who split a world in two, how could you possibly hope to do anything against someone like that? That's not all. You tried to kill Colette and me. You're certainly not on our side, yet you saved us. Why?"

Looking over his shoulder idly at Lloyd, he smirked slightly.

"You're not as stupid as you seem."

Lloyd glared at him.

"Excuse me?"

Botta explained.

"Our goal is two fold: First is to stop Martel's revival. Therefore, the Chosen who would become her vessel was an obstacle."

The other man looked towards the door as he spoke.

"Unfortunately, the Chosen completed the angel transformation. The Chosen is a lethal weapon whose only goal is self preservation. We wouldn't dare lay a hand on her."

Botta nodded and continued.

"Our second goal is to stop the organisation from Gaia known as Akatsuki from entering this world and claiming the last two Bijuu for their Mana Cannon."

The other man looked towards his desk, looking at a map of Gaia on the wall.

"To do so, we attempted to simply assassinate several Jinchuriki outright, however, Akatsuki beat us to them every time. The only Bijuu remaining are Shichibi, known as Aska in our world and the Kyuubi. We have the keys to achieving both of our goals in this room right now. We no longer need the Chosen, nor do we need to attempt to eliminate Aska!"

The doors opened and the room filled with guards that surrounded the group.

"What we need, is **you**, Lloyd Irving and you, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Lloyd and Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Us again? What's so special about us!?"

"That's none of your concern! Get them!"

The group drew their weapons and hacked the guards around them apart before more made their way into the room. However, Lloyd could see the man approaching him out of the corner of his eye and kicked him to the chest, making him freeze and fall over, blood quickly staining his clothes. The guards stopped in worry for their leader.

"Lord Yuan!"

Botta gently leaned down, checking over Yuan, watching him breaking out into a heavy sweat and hyperventilating.

"No, it's his wound from Hima!"

Yuan looked up at Lloyd, glaring absolute hatred at him.

"Curse you, Kratos! How many times… Must you… Get in my way!"

Lloyd's eyes widened in realisation.

"Hima? Are you saying that the assassin that attacked Kratos was you!?"

At that point, the guards surrounded him, forming a defensive position around Yuan. Naruto saw the chance and took it.

"Now's our chance! Let's get out of here!"

No one failed to comply, Colette following Lloyd who led her away from the sounds of battle as the group charged out the door, blinding running down corridor after corridor, trying to find the exit, killing every guard they came across. However, the guards were simply too numerous. Raine looked at Naruto who nodded back as he formed 3 clones and set them to detonate after charging the oncoming rush of guards before the group retreated to the lower levels, not stopping to figure out how to use the controls to open them, instead relying on Sheena and Naruto to use their explosive notes to simply blow them open. The noise of the guards following them began to quieten considerably. Both Sheena and Naruto slumped to the ground, panting for breath.

"My supply of chakra may be massive, but even that was tiring…"

Sheena nodded slowly, simply too tired to say anything. Lloyd glared at the wall, his face a scowl of anger.

"I understand that Naruto's a demon container, but what is it about me that makes me so special!?"

Naruto looked at Lloyd, still panting.

"I think it's your Exsphere and how well you seem to be able to use it…"

Raine nodded slowly, simply making Lloyd clench his fist.

"Those Renegades need to hurry up and make up their freaking minds over whether they're out enemies or not!"

Genis shook his head and looked at him.

"Lloyd, what are we going to do now?"

Lloyd glared at the ground before looking at Naruto who was just beginning to climb back to his feet.

"Naruto, what would you do?"

Naruto sighed and wiped the sweat from his eyes and brow before narrowing his eyes.

"The Renegades, the Desians, Cruxis, and considering Cruxis' stranglehold over the people, most likely everyone in the world is out for our blood… This world's a lost cause…"

Looking down at Sheena, Naruto maintained eye contact with her.

"Sheena, how did you get here from Tethe'alla?"

Standing back up, she leant on the wall to help herself catch her breath.

"I'm no scientist or expert in it, but from what I understand, you can travel to and from both worlds via a distortion in space. It looks like someone just created a hole that sucks everything nearby into it."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"That's exactly what the technique that sent me here looks like…"

Sheena's eyes widened.

"So your Sensei has the power to make something like that with his eye? Unbelievable…"

Naruto nodded as the guards shouting became much louder. Raine looked at the doorway fearfully, clutching her staff.

"We need to make a decision. Naruto, what will we do?"

Naruto looked back at Sheena determinately.

"Sheena, how did you travel through the distortion?"

Preparing her cards, she prepared to run.

"The Renegades use machines called Rheairds to travel through it and protect the riders. This base should have some. Hopefully, enough for all of us…"

The group quickly sprinted through to the next room where Lloyd stopped them.

"I remember this place! Down there's the prison cells! It's a dead end! Up there is the way out, the room we met Yuan and another really big room with lots of strange machines!"

The others looked at each other and nodded.

"That's the Rheairds hanger."

All of them quickly moved towards it, Naruto and Sheena blasting the remaining guards to pieces with various Katon jutsu from Naruto and various seal cards from Sheena. Quickly descending the staircase Lloyd indicated, they came to a massive room with machines everywhere. However, in the centre of the room was a series of railings built into the ground that led to a large rectangular bulkhead that Sheena smiled at.

"They're under there!"

Raine quickly ran to the machine and tapped a number of keys, the bulkhead opening and two rows of Rheairds rose into the hanger, clanking as they attached and moved onto the railings, their wings unfolding. Raine nodded before grabbing her staff and running towards the nearest one.

"Everyone jump on!"

They did so as the Rheairds began rotating, attaching to the middle railing one by one. Lloyd smiled, first off the ranks as the door in front of him opened and he shot out, his voice echoing down the tunnel.

"**YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"**

They couldn't help but smirk before Genis went next.

"**WOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"**

Naruto created a clone and helped Colette onto it and took off. By now, the guards were attempting to slam the door open to stop them, and judging by how badly it was buckling, they'd do just that any second. Raine went off next, considerably less vocal than Lloyd and Genis. Naruto gave Sheena a mock two fingered salute.

"See you on the other side."

She smirked as Naruto shot off the ranks, the abhorrent increase in acceleration spreading his cheeks as he shot off down the tunnel and it began sloping upwards, directly towards the sky where he could see the sun, bright red lights along the walls lining his way before he shot upwards. Back in the hanger, Sheena's Rheaird clicked onto the launch railing as the door exploded open, the guards seeing her as she stuck her tongue out at them before turning around as she took off, meeting the others there before they fell into a rough V formation before a button began blinking on all of their dashboards. The button's description was 'Engage Distortion Tunnel' Nodding, they all pressed it and the sky ripped open in front of them, all of them being sucked in, beginning the travel to Tethe'alla, Naruto screaming above the noise, the others just hearing him.

"ALRIGHT! TETHE'ALLA, HERE WE COME!"

The world around them vanished, their vision whiting out for a moment before it returned as they appeared over some ice capped mountains, located in the middle of a sea full of icebergs, glaciers and churning water. Looking over his shoulder, Naruto recognised a near identical base to the Renegade one in Triet Desert nestled into the mountains of one of the bigger mountains before they continued flying, quickly flying over a large stretch of land before their Rheairds began stalling. Lloyd looked around worriedly.

"Woah, what's happening!?"

Raine spotted it first, looking over her dashboard.

"Look! The Fuel Gauge is empty!"

Sheena nodded.

"I get it… Since you broke the seals on Sylvarant, there's not enough mana in this world anymore…"

"And what does that mean?"

Sheena gulped loudly and smiled sheepishly.

"We're gonna fall…"

Their eyes widened as they began falling, screaming all the way towards a mountain. Naruto wildly looked around, trying to look for something they could go for when they crashed, spotting a massive city about a half day's travel north of the mountains they were heading towards. Desperately pulling up, Naruto tried to land as best he could, the others either attempting the same or just flailing madly. Naruto saw exactly what was in his landing path and quickly formed a pair of Kage Bunshin, the first taking the controls, the second one waiting before he hurled Naruto away, his Rheaird smashing straight into a rock and exploding violently. Naruto tumbled to the ground, the others crashing around him, however, he had landed right in Sheena's path. Both looked on in horror as the imminent collision was about to take place. Sheena did the only thing she could do, taking a nose dive and with her impact velocity, bounced over Naruto, tumbling and stopping lightly against a nearby rock, her Rheaird coming to a stop, its edge tipped over the ledge before it tumbled over to the ledge below. Standing back up and reorganising themselves, they looked over the Rheairds, none of them in any real shape to fly, even with fuel. Lloyd just sighed in relief.

"I think we managed to avoid destroying them completely… Well, except for Naruto's…"

They all looked at the burning wreckage before Naruto shivered.

"I seriously nearly died…"

Sheena glared at him.

"If you're going to hurl yourself off something, don't do it directly into my path!"

Naruto glared at her.

"I'll remember that and stay on board next time then."

Sheena glared towards the burning wreckage.

"Um… Nevermind…"

Naruto shrugged slightly as he looked over the mountain top at the lands below, the others still discussing what to do.

"Still, these are useless without fuel and repairs!"

Lloyd scratched his head.

"What's the fuel? Coal?"

Sheena sweat dropped before looking at Lloyd.

"Coal? Sheesh, how did you guys actually manage to live on Sylvarant?"

Lloyd looked at Sheena in incomprehension before Raine stepped in.

"Then magic? The lightning Volt produces, I assume?"

Everyone turned to look at Naruto who looked back at them.

"You want me to form a pact with Volt?"

They nodded and Naruto shrugged.

"Again, I'll have to check with the toads and now with Undine to see if it's ok, then we actually have to find him…"

Sheena nodded.

"I haven't made a pact with any of the Summon Spirits in this world yet, so for now I suppose we have to leave the Rheairds here…"

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Yeah. One thing though. Why is the Tower of Salvation here?"

They all turned and looked to where Naruto pointed to see that the Tower of Salvation was indeed in the middle of the world. Genis' eyes widened in shock.

"Why is it here? This is Tethe'alla, right?"

Sheena nodded.

"The Tower of Salvation always appears in the flourishing world. It appeared in your world when Colette received the Oracle, right?"

Raine's eyes narrowed as she thought.

"Two Worlds, Two Towers…"

Naruto nodded.

"And Two Chosen…"

Raine turned to Sheena.

"Then what about the Holy Ground? The Church of Martel also exists over here, correct? Is the Holy Ground called Kharlan?"

Sheena nodded.

"Yes, the place where the Tower of Salvation lies is the Holy Ground of Kharlan, the same as in your world."

Genis shook his head.

"The Holy Ground of Kharlan is where the peace treaty to end the ancient war was signed! There can't be two of them!"

Sheena glared at him.

"Are you sure yours isn't fake? We have records depicting Mithos bringing the two kings together to sign the treaty!"

Raine nodded, looking back at Sheena.

"We have such records as well. The instruments used to sign the contract can be seen at the Palmacosta Academy."

Lloyd scratched his head slowly.

"Maybe neither of them are fake and they're both real?"

Genis shook his head.

"Lloyd, that's not possible…"

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"No, Lloyd may be onto something… If you think about it, Yggdrasil was supposed to have carved the world in two, Tethe'alla on one side, Sylvarant on the other. If the Holy Ground of Kharlan was where it was signed, and where the Tower of Salvation is on both worlds, it might be that's where he made the split, right down the middle of it, each side gets part of it the real Holy Ground."

Raine's eyes widened in realisation.

"Yes, that would definitely make sense. Instead of there being two Holy Grounds, neither has the real one, but just one half of the real one…"

Sheena's and Genis' eyes widened in realisation as well, Genis nodded in agreement.

"It'd also make sense because neither Sylvarant or Tethe'alla could say the other got a better deal than the other…"

Raine smiled at Naruto.

"Sometimes, I wonder why you don't want to be a professor, Naruto. You certainly have the mind for it…"

Naruto looked at Raine in distrust.

"Being a book worm isn't my style…"

Raine simply sighed and the group turned to Naruto.

"Well either way, the problem isn't going to solve itself if we sit here and talk. We need to get moving."

None of them disagreed, and they began walking down the mountain, talking idly as they did.

"Sheena, I've been meaning to ask you, where did you get your Exsphere?"

Sheena looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow, pushing a lone twig branch out of her way as they continued down the mountain.

"They attached it to me at the Imperial Research Academy. The Renegades originally brought them over from Sylvarant."

Nodding, Naruto continued looking over the horizon as he continued.

"The Renegades?"

She nodded.

"Yup. They were also the ones who told us the nature of the twin worlds and convinced the King and the Pope into sending an assassin to kill Sylvarant's Chosen."

Naruto nodded slowly, stopping to look over a ledge seeing they were nearly at the bottom.

"So what do you usually do with them over here?"

Sheena shrugged, carefully jumping off a boulder onto the jagged, uneven surface below.

"Mostly they're attached to machines. Some we also study."

Smiling slightly, Naruto jumped down and joined her, Lloyd following while Raine and Genis took a slightly longer way down with Colette.

"Well, if you study them, we might be able to find out how to help Colette…"

Lloyd's eyes widened as Sheena smirked slightly.

"They also study Tethe'alla's Chosen's Cruxis Crystal at the Imperial Research Academy, which would also help."

Nodding, the group walked down the final slope, the grassy plain beyond stretching as far as they eye could see.

Naruto reached the bottom first and turned around.

"Alright, I guess the first port of call is a city about half a day's travel north of here. It's massive, probably three times the size of Palmacosta. We'll decide where to go from there."

Sheena nodded.

"That's Meltokio, the imperial capital of Tethe'alla."

Nodding, the group walked onto the plain and headed north, fighting off a few animals that jumped out at them before the city they headed towards came into view. Stopping for a moment, Naruto looked at the group.

"Guys, we don't know what will happen when we enter the city. I need to summon Gamakichi and give an update before we go on in case we don't get another chance for a while."

The others nodded and sat down, getting out some food rations to enjoy the first meal they had in a while without a great deal of pressure on them or guards breathing down their neck. Naruto bit his thumb, forming the hand seals and performed the technique.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

From the small puff of smoke, Gamakichi glared up at him.

"What do you want? It's still a week to early."

Naruto glared at him.

"Recognise this place?"

Gamakichi looked around before staring back at him.

"Of course I don't know where you are in this backwards world, idiot!"

The frog stuck its tongue out at Naruto and blew a raspberry, making Naruto grit his teeth.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't boot you over the horizon."

Gamakichi sweat dropped and held up his webbed hands.

"Oi oi, I didn't really mean it like that…"

Naruto sat down in front of him.

"Well, I summoned you early because a lot's happened in the last day or two.. We've found out the reason Sylvarant looked so unnatural."

Relaying the events that had unfolded, Gamakichi crossed his arms.

"Geez kid, you know how to make yourself some powerful enemies and get yourself into trouble…"

Naruto sighed and rested his chin on his palm.

"Tell me about it…"

Gamakichi grunted and reached into his Gi, pulling out a scroll which he tossed at Naruto.

"That's the supply scroll I was going to give you in a week. Got a letter with orders in there from that super vain old hag with the big chest."

Naruto couldn't help but try and fail to suppress a snigger at the jab at the Hokage, Sheena raising her eyebrows.

"Super vain old hag with the big chest?"

Naruto smirked at her.

"Konoha's current Hokage is about 50. She uses a spell to make her look like she's in her late 20s. And she's probably enhanced her chest the same way. They're probably bigger than her head."

Most people in the group just sweat dropped when Raine broke the silence.

"That is indeed incredibly vain…"

Sheena simply said nothing as Naruto turned back to Gamakichi.

"Well, that's all there is to it."

Nodding, Gamakichi took the sandwich from Naruto and took a bite out of it, waving his free hand.

"Later!"

With that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Quickly packing up, the group continued towards Meltokio. Fighting off several more crazed animals on the way. However, just before they reached the main road leading into the massive city gates, Sheena stopped.

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to part ways with you here."

The group turned around, looking at her searchingly for an answer.

"What? Why?"

Naruto answered for her.

"I'll take a guess and say Sheena has to go and report back to her village and announce the failure of her mission…"

Sheena begrudgingly nodded.

"Exactly. That and the people of my village, Mizuho aren't exactly friendly with outsiders. We keep to ourselves, especially considering we're essentially exiles..."

Reaching into her sash, she handed a letter to Naruto.

"Can you deliver this to the King for me? Tell him it's from Sheena from Mizuho and that'll get you an audience with him immediately."

Nodding Naruto took the letter and gently rolled it up, placing it in one of the scroll holders of his flak jacket. Genis however, wasn't so sure.

"The King wanted Colette killed though. Will this really be alright?"

Sheena nodded.

"To stop him trying, I've written everything that's happened in it when we took a break earlier and requested that they help heal Colette."

Naruto smirked as Raine shook her head.

"What if they refuse?"

Naruto smirked as he looked into Sheena's eyes, seeing they both had the same idea.

"Then we tell them that we'll finish Tethe'alla once and for all by returning to Sylvarant and completing the Journey of Regeneration."

Their eyes widened in shock, but Raine caught on.

"What? That's exactly what we don't want!"

Raine explained.

"Sheena's come up with an excellent plan. It's more of a bluff than anything. The only way they can help us ensure the regeneration of Sylvarant doesn't take place is to reverse the Angel Transformation. If they decline, they're essentially signing the death warrant of their world. As long as we leave out the fact that we wouldn't sacrifice Colette anyway, they don't have much choice."

Lloyd and Genis caught on quickly as they smiled at Sheena.

"Wow, you're pretty good to come up with that by yourself while we rested, Sheena!"

She smiled slightly.

"It's what we Ninja do. We fight in the shadows and we bargain in the shadows. It's dirty and shady work, but someone has to do it."

Naruto nodded in agreement as Sheena looked at the group.

"The Imperial Research Academy is under the direct control of the Imperial Royal Family. The King is one of the only few who can grant you permission to use it without restriction for something like this. There wasn't any other way."

Naruto nodded and extended his hand.

"Thanks for your help Sheena. You've been a real lifesaver…"

Sheena blushed slightly before she shook of her embarrassment and took it, shaking his hand before he spoke.

"We'll see you again, right?"

Sheena shrugged.

"We might, we might not."

Naruto sighed before letting go of her hand.

"Where have I heard that before…"

Nodding he smiled.

"Well the, catch you late hopefully."

She nodded.

"Yeah. Take care and hope to see you soon."

With that Sheena turned and left the group, heading off towards the north, the group turning and walking towards the main road into the massive city. As Sheena continued north, she noticed something on her glove. Looking down, she saw that it was a small letter. Opening it up, she smirked at its short message.

'_Good for 1 I.O.U. –From Naruto.'_

Smirking, she folded it back up and placed it in her sash before continuing back towards Mizuho.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Back in Meltokio:**

The group walked towards the gate along with numerous other people of various types including merchants, civilians, warriors and various others. However, one group was the complete centre of attention. The travellers from Sylvarant. Not because of their darker tans and much larger frames, but because well… they hadn't had a bath in a while, along with their clothes and Lloyd and Naruto's usually loud conversations. Lloyd stopped and looked at everyone around them.

"Why is everyone staring at us, Professor?"

Raine sighed and looked at the others briefly before looking back at Lloyd.

"It may be from our clothing or it may be because we haven't been able to take care of our hygiene recently…"

Lloyd titled his head to the side.

"Hy… Giene?"

Raine sighed while Genis sweat dropped.

"She means you haven't had a bath in a while, Lloyd…"

"Hey, you're right! We haven't! We've been so busy we haven't had time!"

Naruto just sighed and trudged into the gates before they stopped in the first courtyard. The city seemed to be divided into tiers, each with three sections. The lower the tier, the poorer the people were, the bottom right hand side being essentially nothing but slums. The right side seemed to be exclusively commercial, filled with shops of all types while the middle seemed to be public community places, including gardens, parks and courtyards. Off to the left on one of the middle tiers was a massive stone building, roughly circular in shape from what they could see with semi circle windows placed evenly around each level. Up the stairs at the top, they could see a massive castle that dwarfed anything in any fairy tales they had ever heard of, sitting at the centre of the city, drawing attention from the sunlight reflecting off the surface. As they stood there gawking, a small puppy walked up to Colette and looked happily at her, making Genis smile.

"Wow, there are dogs on this side too!"

What they didn't expect to happen at that point was for Colette to stare at it vacantly before kicking it across the courtyard, straight into the corner where there seemed to be some rubbish bins. The dog yelped in pain before whining and scampering off. Naruto was the first to speak.

"Wow, that was mean…"

Genis also looked particularly shocked.

"Colette always loved dogs too…"

At that point, a rather stocky man with eagle like purple hair similar to a certain Raven Haired Uchiha Naruto knew well walked down the stairs, clad in a very unusual green robe, glasses framing the bridge of his nose as he smirked at Colette.

"My, what a violent young lady… That's marvellous."

Without saying anything further, he walked passed them and out the gate. The rest of the group simply tried to comprehend what had happened. Naruto spoke first.

"Did that man actually say he liked violent women? And the very first thing he said to us, no less?"

Raine just shook her head in disbelief.

"I have no idea what that was all about…"

Pushing it aside, they made their way up the centre stairs, moving up to the next tier where they looked around, getting their bearings./ Up ahead of them was a group of girls laughing and chatting with someone that approached where the group stood. Colette slowly walked forward, running into one of the women who fell back slightly.

"Hey, watch it!"

Another one glared at Colette near the back of the group.

"Watch where you're going!"

The man simply sighed.

"Now now, settle down my darling hunnies!"

Turning around, he smiled down at Colette.

"Hey there my little cool beauty. Are you hurt?"

Colette made no reply, making the first woman with the man smirk.

"Well, Master Zelos deigns to speak with this girl and look how she acts!"

Another right at the back giggled slightly.

"Just look at her! It's not even close to festival time and she's wearing an angel costume! How stupid are you?"

"The nerve of this hag!"

Genis glared at the woman.

"What did you say!?"

Naruto smirked and looked Genis.

"Let it slide Genis. Besides…"

He turned to look at Lloyd.

"I thought that was a pretty rich comment coming from someone like her…"

Lloyd nodded.

"She obviously hasn't looked in a mirror before."

The woman began shaking in near rage.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"

Raine just shook her head.

"You're all acting like children…"

Zelos simply sighed and smiled widely.

"Now now, settle down. Are you upset my little angel?"

Taking several steps towards her, he smiled sweetly at her.

"You know, I bet you're as cute as a button when you smile…"

Naruto's eyes widened as he got closer.

"Hold on, don't-"

The moment he tried to reach out and touch her, Colette grabbed his arm and hurled him directly towards Naruto, making his eyes widen and jump up, attaching himself to the underside of a light post as Zelos flipped over and skidded to a halt, the groupie with him screaming in fear.

"AHHHHH!!!! MASTER ZELOS!"

Naruto smirked down at him as Zelos passed underneath him.

"I tried to warn you."

Zelos looked up in shock at him.

"What are you, a monkey?"

Naruto simply let his chakra concentration fade, flipping upside down and landing on his feet.

"No, just jumped and used mana to attach my feet to the light post to stop myself being cleaned up by you."

Zelos pondered it for a moment before returning to the group, staring in shock at Colette.

"Well that was a surprise. You are a strong one, my little angel. You certainly startled me."

Naruto glared at Zelos behind his back.

"Just who exactly are you?"

Zelos turned around and looked at Naruto nonplussed.

"No offence, but I'm not interested in talking to guys."

Walking passed both Lloyd and Genis, he took an immediate interest in Raine while Genis nudged Lloyd's side.

"I hate this guy already…"

"Me too, Genis…"

Smiling brightly at Raine, Zelos began again.

"Well, what's your name beautiful?"

Raine simply stared him in the eyes before answering.

"I believe its common manners to offer your own name before asking someone for theirs."

Zelos' eyes widened slightly before the smile set back in.

"Oh, you don't know me? I guess you still have a ways to go then…"

The other women came up behind Zelos and giggled.

"Master Zelos, let's go!"

"Yes, yes of course. Well, I'll see you again my lovely lady, my cute little angel and uh… You… Other people."

The group retreated down the stairs, leaving the group to try and again come back to their senses. Genis was the first to speak.

"What an ass. He was grinning like an idiot the entire time. What's wrong with that guy?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Every single person we've talked to since coming into this city has been abusive, rude or just plain creepy…"

Raine's eyes narrowed at his retreating back.

"He had an Exsphere on him…"

Genis' eyes widened.

"No way!"

Lloyd nodded slowly.

"That's how he reacted so fast… Just who was that guy?"

Naruto sighed, looking back at Colette.

"The other women with him kept calling him 'Master Zelos' like he was some kind of dignitary or someone important…"

Turning around, they continued towards the top tier, seeing many massive mansions on the far right of the tier, a massive temple on the left and the castle in the middle. Looking around, Naruto looked at the letter Sheena had given him and nodded.

"We've got to talk to the king, so our best bet is the palace…"

Following him up the stairs, the group saw that the huge oak doors were guarded by a pair of heavily armoured guards with pikes. The left one held up his hand.

"Stop. Who are you people?"

Naruto did as he was told.

"We need to meet the king."

The second guard shook his head slowly.

"His Majesty is ill and is not taking audiences. Now that you know, please leave."

Naruto grunted.

"This is important!"

The first guard shook his head.

"There are no exceptions. The church of Martel next door is preparing for a prayer ceremony for the king. If you really need to see him, help them so he recovers quickly. Please leave or we will be forced to arrest you."

Saying nothing Naruto sighed.

"Alright, fine…"

Turning around, the group trudged back down the stairs as another two guards walked up to the first two guarding the door.

"Alright, shift's up."

The two sets of guards changed places as the group proceeded next door into the temple of Martel, noticing several people praying and a number of Pastors around the temple. The group made his way to the front and spoke to the Pastor standing at the front of the temple.

"Welcome to the Church of Martel."

He stopped for a moment and looked towards the door.

"Excuse me a moment. Presea? The prayers are to take place in the Royal Chambers. Please carry the sacred wood to the castle."

The group turned to see a young girl with twin pink unplatted ponytails lugging a log of wood via a handle into the Church of Martel.

"…Yes."

She turned around and began dragging it back outside. Genis was the first to speak.

"She's cute."

Lloyd's eyes narrowed as he looked at the hand dragging the log.

"She has an Exsphere too. Is that a standard custom over here?"

Genis seemed rather oblivious.

"Yeah. She's really cute."

Lloyd turned and looked at Genis.

"… You're not listening at all, are you?"

Turning back to the Pastor, Raine spoke first.

"You mentioned prayers. Are you praying for the king's recovery?"

The Pastor nodded, a sad look falling over his eyes.

"Yes. The Chosen and the Pope will pray for the king and receive the assistance of Martel. He has been very ill recently."

An idea came to Lloyd at that point.

"You said the prayers were going to take place in the Royal Chambers, right?"

The Pastor nodded slowly.

"Yes, but…"

Lloyd smiled.

"Thanks!"

At that point, one of the Pastor's aids called to him and he excused himself as Lloyd turned to the group.

"Guys, I just figured out how to get inside the Castle!"

They all listened to him.

"How?"

"We'll pretend to carry the sacred wood and sneak in!"

Genis' eyes lit up and he nodded vigorously. Naruto shrugged slightly.

"Doesn't look like we have any better way…"

The group turned and walked out the door, quickly catching up to Presea to see her alking to a man.

"Well then, I'll let you get to work. The sacred wood goes to Altimira. You can do that after your current job is done."

"Understood…"

The man nodded again.

"The plan is right on schedule. I must report to Lord Rodyle."

Presea continued dragging the wood towards the castle when Genis called out to her.

"Hey! Hang on a sec… Um… Presea!"

Presea stopped and turned to look at them, a completely lifeless look in her eyes. Riane stuttered as she saw the look before continuing.

"C… Could we have a moment of your time?"

Lloyd spoke again.

"I'm Lloyd. And this is Colette, Raine, Naruto and-"

"I… I'm Genis!"

Lloyd looked behind him to see Genis' face tinted slightly.

"Genis, why are you all flushed?"

Genis ignored Lloyd and spoke to Presea again.

"Would you let us help you carry the sacred wood?"

Presea said nothing and went back to carrying the wood.

"W… Wait!"

Naruto sighed and walked up to her.

"Sorry Presea, but it'd really help us if you would let us… We need to speak to the king urgently, but they won't let us because he's ill. This is the only way we can get this news to him…"

Presea said nothing for a moment before Lloyd spoke.

"Our friend's life depends on it…"

"… Understood."

Presea let go of the wood and Naruto nodded.

"Thank you…"

Naruto, Genis and Lloyd bent down to carry it, finding that for such a short log, it was immensely heavy. Not even with chakra aiding them could they make it move an inch. Eventually, Naruto switched to the handle and began slowly dragging it towards the entrance before Presea stopped and turned around, moving to the back and pushing it, Naruto finding the weight lightening astronomically as he did so, both Genis and Lloyd pushing from the sides as they got it up the stairs, the guards looked at them, nodding.

"You're just in time. The sacred wood is to go up to the Royal Chambers. Please try not to scratch the floor or walls."

They all grabbed their parts as they guards opened the doors and they took the log through. Once the doors shut, the first guard turned to the other.

"Are all lumberjacks women, children and very young men these days?"

The second guard shrugged.

"Hell if I know…"

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Inside the Castle:**

Just inside the door, the group let go of the wood and looked at each other.

"Alright, now to get to the royal chambers."

The others nodded before Raine looked at Presea.

"What should we do with the sacred wood?"

In her usual monotone voice, Presea answered.

"Leave it here…"

Genis turned to her.

"What will you do, Presea?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Letting her back out alone will be suspicious…"

Raine nodded.

"Sorry to burden you Presea, but would you stay with us a little bit longer please?"

Saying nothing, she nodded slowly and the group turned to head towards the Royal Chambers, spotting them at the end of the vast hall on the balcony above the throne on their level if the decorations and guards were anything to go by. Looking around, they spotted a set of marble stairs leading upwards and they headed up the stairs, reaching the Royal Chamber doors where a guard stood.

"Who are you? Who gave you permission to be here?"

Naruto smiled sheepishly.

"We bought the sacred wood, but then were asked to help with the preparations for the prayers…"

Raine nodded.

"It was an order directly from the Pope."

The guard's demeanour changed slightly as he eased up.

"The Pope? Hang on a second, I'll ask…"

The guard turned around and both Naruto and Lloyd drew their weapons, smacking the guard over the back of the neck with the flat of their blades in a non lethal move that knocked him out cold.

"Sorry about this…"

The people inside turned to look at the commotion, the Pope taking a step back.

"What is the meaning of this!?"

A familiar red haired man in front turned around and rose an eyebrow at them.

"Oh, it's you people."

The overweight old man turned to Zelos.

"Chosen, do you know these people?"

Genis' eyes widened.

"Chosen!?"

Naruto smirked.

"So she was right. Tethe'alla's Chosen really is a perverted idiotic womaniser…"

Their eyes widened slightly as Raine spoke.

"So, you are Tethe'alla's Chosen of Mana…"

Zelos' eyes widened.

"What do you mean, 'Tethe'alla's' Chosen?"

The overweight man spoke again.

"Are… Are you people from Sylvarant?"

Raine nodded.

"Correct."

Naruto simply smirked at the man.

"I'm not."

The man looked at Naruto.

"Then who are you?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, Fuuinjutsu user, master of wind and summoner from Konohagure no Sato on the Planet Gaia."

The Pope's eyes shot open.

"The… The mythical world of demons and hellfire, Gaia!?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that.

"I'm not sure if you could call it a world of demons and hellfire, but it's the same one that your world's hero Mithos banished the Bijuu to four thousand years ago."

A woman, who could only be described as a princess looked at them from behind a fan.

"These people are from the declining world and he is from the world of myth, Gaia?"

Zelos looked over his shoulder.

"Have no fear, Princess."

Looking back at the group, he let the grin go as he got down to business.

"What were your names?"

"Lloyd."

"Genis."

"Raine."

"Naruto."

"…Presea."

"And she's Colette."

Zelos nodded.

"Then for what reason have you come here?"

They looked towards Naruto who nodded and stepped forward.

"We've come here to deliver a letter written by Sheena Fujibayashi of Mizuho directly to the king for his eyes only."

That name obviously struck a chord with more than one person in the room.

"Sheena? What's you're relationship with her?"

Naruto kept a level stare at Zelos.

"I'll be honest, I don't know anymore. It started as an assassin/victim relationship, but that's changed. Right now, it'd be safe to say mutual allies for the time being."

The King's eyes widened.

"Sheena!? Naruto, please give me the letter!"

Nodding, Naruto walked slowly forward, gently opening the scroll pouch and drawing the carefully rolled letter before giving it to the King who took it.

"That's it. I don't know exactly what's in it since Sheena said it's for you, but we understand the context of it."

The King nodded slowly.

"People of Sylvarant and Naruto of Gaia, please wait in the other room."

Nodding, the group turned around, one of the guard leading them to a nearby room.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Later, in the Nearby Room:**

Lloyd sat on the trunk at the end of the bed, Raine simply standing near the middle of the room, Genis and Presea standing nearby, Naruto leaning against a wall while Colette stood near the door, vacantly staring at the wall, as usual. Lloyd sighed and tapped his foot impatiently.

"They're making us wait a long time…"

Raine nodded slowly and looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, what would you say they're doing?"

Naruto pushed himself off the wall and looked at them sternly.

"Considering what Sheena implied was in the note and what options they did have, I'd say they're deciding whether or not to kill Colette and us."

Genis shook his head.

"We've dragged Presea into this!"

Lloyd nodded.

"We have to find some way to at least let her escape…"

Naruto shook his head and walked forward, looking at the bookshelf near the front of the room.

"Presea is extremely physically strong, way more than I am. She can handle herself as needed. However, I'd like to let them have a try at Colette."

They looked at him in confusion as he smirked.

"What do you mean, Naruto?"

Shrugging, he took a seat in a chair.

"Both Botta and Yuan said that they wouldn't dare try and touch her. What do you think a few armoured guards could do to her compared to a pair of people like them?"

Raine nodded slowly.

"You have a point…"

Moments later, the door opened and the Pope, along with two guards and Zelos came into the room.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting, people of Sylvarant."

Lloyd stood up.

"So, you read the letter?"

Zelos looked at Colette.

"You want to use Tethe'alla's technology to save the Chosen of Sylvarant, right?"

Naruto nodded.

"Pretty much. We want to try and reverse the Angle Transformation, not only saving our Chosen, but letting your world continue to flourish. Both of us win."

The Pope locked eyes with Naruto.

"But as long as the Chosen still exists, our world is in peril."

Both guards behind him moved at Colette as the others backed up.

"It's just like you said, Naruto!"

Naruto smiled.

"Let them try. If they want to throw their lives away, so be it."

The Pope's eyes narrowed.

"Kill her!"

Both guards made to attack, only to have Colette simply boot both of them against the wall where they slumped, unconscious, making the Pope and Zelos take a step back as Naruto smirked at them.

"Would you and the Chosen like to try next?"

Two more guards came into the room, the Pope calling to them as they moved to attack.

"Stop!"

Zelos simply looked at the Pope in a nonplussed manner.

"See? They have Exspheres. I told you they would be strong."

Genis smirked slightly at him.

"You're not as dumb as you look."

Zelos' eyes narrowed at Genis.

"Impudent little brat…"

Naruto smirked and took a step forward.

"Now, how about we make a deal? We won't complete the regeneration if you help us reverse the transformation."

The Pope glared at Naruto.

"And if we decline?"

Naruto simply looked at his nails in a bored manner as he explained.

"We simply return to Sylvarant, kill off as much of your forces as we can on the way back and complete the ritual."

The Pope smirked slightly.

"Then why did you even come to Tethe'alla in the first place?"

Naruto said nothing, continuing to look at his nails.

"We would like to save our friend, but Colette specifically asked us to make sure she ended up a sacrifice if there was nothing we could do. If you won't help us, especially since you're the only ones with the technology to do it, we have no real choice but to complete our World Regeneration. In other words, help us heal her or we'll crush your world and all of you who live on it."

The Pope's eyes widened in fear.

"Please don't get so hasty!"

Naruto smiled slightly, as did the others.

"Glad to see you know when to help."

The Pope shook his head.

"Even so, that means you'll be abandoning Sylvarant…"

Naruto shrugged.

"We have our reasons. Reasons that you don't need to know."

The Pope said nothing until Zelos spoke.

"Still, if they're going to be staying here, it doesn't really matter whether their Chosen is alive or dead, considering they won't be able to go back to complete the Regeneration Ritual, so I'll go along and keep tabs on them. That should be ok with the King."

The Pope nodded slowly.

"If you insist, Chosen One…"

Naruto smiled.

"So, it's settled then?"

Zelos nodded.

"We'll do what we can. I swear it on my name as Zelos the Chosen."

Naruto nodded.

"Thank you for co operating."

The Pope looked over the group slowly.

"I will give you permission to travel around Tethe'alla under the Chosen's observation."

Naruto nodded slowly.

"That's fine."

Zelos smiled slightly.

"Then it's settled. I'm going to go get ready, so can we meet up later?"

Naruto nodded.

"Did you have anyplace in mind?"

Zalos nodded.

"How about the Martel Cathedral?"

Naruto nodded.

"Alright, we'll see you there."

The Pope nodded.

"Then Chosen, please report this to His Majesty."

Zelos smiled.

"You got it. See you later, my lovely lady, my cute Chosen and tiny rosebud."

With that, the Chosen, the Pope and the remaining guards moved to take the two still unconscious guards and left the room. Naruto sighed as they went out of sight.

"He never misses a chance to flirt…"

Lloyd turned to Naruto and smiled.

"Wow, that was amazing Naruto!"

Naruto looked at Lloyd in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Genis smiled slightly and explained.

"I didn't know you were so good at politics and mediation!"

Naruto smirked slightly as Raine gave her two cents.

"Indeed. We're lucky to have you here or that would have turned out in a very different manner…"

Naruto shrugged slightly as he explained.

"Ninja are often contracted to protect and escort royalty, delegates and other V.I.Ps on my world, especially when they are to meet with other such people who are potentially hostile in order to reach an agreement. It's just something I was able to pick up over the years. Apparently, I'm half decent at it."

The group left the Castle and made their way next door again to the Martel Cathedral. In one of the isles was Zelos, talking, with no surprise, to a female staff member. Naruto coughed, bringing Zelos back to the world around him and he smiled, quickly finishing his conversation with the woman and turning around.

"Yo, Naruto! You're finally here!"

Naruto nodded.

"Zelos, wasn't it?"

Zelos nodded and smiled.

"Yup, yup. I'm the great Zelos Wilder, but you can call me Zelos."

The entire group had a single, unanimous response.

"…"

Zelso sweat dropped but continued on.

"Well, we're going to be travelling together, so let's be friends, mmmkay?"

Genis just stared at him.

"He sounds like he doesn't take anything seriously…"

Naruto shrugged and smiled.

"About time. We need some humour to lighten things up."

Zelos smirked slightly at Naruto.

"Bit gloomy in the party, is it?"

Naruto smiled and nodded.

"It has its bad times…"

Zelos smirked as he looked over the group.

"Alright, the three guys aside for a moment, this beauty over here is Raine, right? And this cool Chosen would be Colette… And who's this little one?"

"She's Presea. She helped us sneak into the castle."

Zelos raised an eyebrow at that.

"The little one isn't from Sylvarant?"

Presea answered in a typical one word answer.

"Ozette…"

Zelos' eryes shot open at that.

"Ozette!? That little town out in the boondoc- I mean, out in the forest? That's so sad… You're being used by these uncivilized barbarians!"

Naruto snorted.

"If trying to crack onto anything female, regardless of age is what it means to be 'civilized' I think most of us would rather not be."

Zelos sighed and looked at Naruto.

"Seriously man, it's not that bad…"

Naruto shrugged slightly.

"I don't know… All those baths and formal clothing and social rules are too much bother. I like living in a mud brick home with no running water…"

Both Zelos and Naruto had a good snort at that one. Zelos smiled at him slightly.

"Well, at least you've got a sense of humour, Naruto."

Smirking, Naruto kept his eyes locked with Zelos'.

"I grew up as an orphan. You learnt to cope by just not taking things seriously if you could avoid it."

Zelos nodded slightly.

"Grew up as an orphan? That had to suck…"

Naruto nodded.

"Pretty much. But what's done is done. Anyway, moving back on topic, did you have anything in mind for getting to the Imperial Research Academy?"

Zelos smiled slightly.

"It's all sorted out. Use of the Imperial Research Academy can only be gained with permission from the king, which I've gotten."

Lloyd smirked slightly.

"Not bad Zelos."

"I know. When the great Zelos speaks, His Majesty listens."

Genis glared at him.

"With you keeping tabs on us, I'd certainly expect that."

Zelos glared right back.

"You're an obnoxious brat, you know that?"

Raine simply sighed, trying to move the conversation back on topic.

"Going to the Imperial Research Academy is fine, but what about Presea? Can you free her? Surely you don't need to keep tabs on her as well?"

"No. Both Ozette and the Imperial Research Academy are on the continent across the sea, so we can just drop her of when we go."

Lloyd looked over his shoulder at the girl in question.

"Is that ok with you, Presea?"

"… Yes."

Looking back at the fiery redhead, Lloyd rested his hand on the pommel of his sword.

"So, where to then?"

"To Syback! It's on the other side of the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge. It's just north-east of here."

Lloyd smiled.

"The Imperial Research Academy… I'm getting excited just thinking about it! Let's go everyone!"

No one disagreed and they immediately set out for the Imperial Research Academy and to take the first step in hopefully getting their friend cured.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** Well there you go. Now you've all been brought up to speed and two new characters introduced to the 'party', namely Presea and Zelos. Well, read, review, comment, flame, etc. Hope you enjoyed it.

Specula/Synica.


	14. Imperial Research Academy, Sybak

**A/N:** Hey there everyone. I did intend to bring this chapter out a little earlier, but I kinda got a bit lazy and decided to leave it, so I've pretty much made this into a late new year special. To be honest, I was kinda of hoping when I started this one to have the story progressed to about the Flanor talk scene by Christmas for those of you who know how the story goes, for well… Obvious reasons. People seem to also be getting bit impatient with the lack of Naru/Shee fluff if the response from the reviews was much to go by, so I'll start putting it in, bit by bit. Hell, gotta start moving towards their ultimate fluff/romance relationship at some point anyway…

Anyway, hope you enjoyed and had a merry Christmas and a happy new year. And don't drink too much, mmkay? Without further ado, enjoy.

Legend:

_'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'_

_**'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'**_

"...Human or Lesser Summon Talking..."

"**...Demon or Summon Boss Talking..."**

"...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU/SPELL..."

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Two Worlds, Two Ninja:

Chapter Thirteen:

Imperial Research Academy, Sybak.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Outside Meltokio:**

The group walked out the front gates, drawing many eyes, mostly because Zelos was with them. Genis and Lloyd rolled their eyes as Zelos began flirting with a few of the women that walked by. Leaning in closer to Lloyd, Genis whispered softly.

"I wonder if he ever stops flirting…"

Lloyd shrugged as they turned northwards.

"Doesn't look like it…"

Lloyd looked back at Naruto who seemed to be looking far into the distance at the ocean at the edge of their sight, or more correctly, trying to see beyond it.

"Naruto, do you really think Zelos isn't that bad?"

Blinking several times, Naruto looked back at Lloyd.

"Well when you put the excessive flirting to the side, he seems ok…"

Genis looked at Naruto nonplussed.

"Putting the flirting aside? All he seems to do is flirt."

Naruto had to concede the point. Over ninety percent of what had come out of Zelos' mouth had been a flirt of one kind or another. The only time he seemed to be remotely serious was when they met in the King's Chambers.

"You've got a point, Genis…"

Shrugging slightly, they continued northwards, the number of people seemed to thin as they saw a massive building in the distance. When they looked over the water, they saw it wasn't just some random building but in fact, part of bridge that continued on, as best they could see, forever. They literally could not see the end of it. Raine was complete dumbstruck, her mouth hanging open in a slight 'o' at the sight of it. Naruto shook hiss head as they continued walking.

"It barely seems to be getting any closer…"

Lloyd grunted and rubbed his eyes.

"Then why does it still look that big?"

Zelos smiled as he looked over his shoulder.

"It's the grand Tethe'alla Drawbridge that connects two continents. It goes nearly a quarter of the way around the world. It's without a doubt, the biggest building in the world besides the Tower of Salvation."

Raine blinked several times in incomprehension.

"How is that possible? The kind of power that would be needed to raise the bridge would be astronomical!"

Zelos smiled at her.

"Eager to find out? It's not too far now, just another thirty minutes walk. Let's go!"

They continued walking towards this unbelievable feat of engineering, completely mesmerised by it. Finally, the half an hour passed and they stood before the massive gatehouse that dwarfed even the biggest building besides the Martel Cathedral and the Castle they saw back in Meltokio. Lloyd stumbled forward, his jaw dropped in awe at the unbelievable feat of engineering.

"It… It's huge…"

Zelos walked out the front of the group, turning to face them.

"Listen up and be amazed, bumpkins! This is the greatest drawbridge in the world, connecting the continents of Altimira and Fooji. Its control system incorporates three thousand Exspheres-"

Zelos stopped when he noticed the mood soured drastically, his eyes narrowing slightly when their looks became pained and all of them that had Exspheres touched them softly.

"Did I say something?"

Naruto shook his head in disbelief.

"Three… Three thousand Exspheres… Three thousand human lives…"

Zelos' eyes narrowed.

"What are you mumbling about?"

They told him exactly what they had seen in the Asgard Ranch and exactly how Exspheres were made. Even Zelos' ever present cheerful demeanor vanished. As they finished Zelos crossed his arms.

"That's a pretty sobering story… Are you sure it's true?"

Lloyd glared at him.

"Do you really think we'd make something like that up? My Exsphere was my mother's life!"

Zelos took a step back.

"Woah, no need to get angry like that… Still…"

He looked behind him at the bridge and sighed.

"What's done is done. Even so, they're not going to come back to life at this point, so we might as well look on the bright side of things!"

He turned back to them, his usual grin in place making everyone sweat drop. Raine simply dropped her shoulders and sighed in defeat.

"I can't tell if he's a positive thinker or really just doesn't care about anything…"

Lloyd looked back at Zelos.

"While we're on the subject, both you and Presea have Exspheres. Does everyone in this world have them? It didn't sound like it from what Sheena described."

Zelos shook his head.

"Nope. I got this from the guys calling themselves The Renegades. They distributed quite a few to Sheena, the Papal Knights and such."

Genis looked over at Presea who simply stood several meters away from the group, staring vacantly across the bridge.

"And Presea?"

Shrugging, he tapped his sword pommel.

"Beats me."

Everyone turned to look at Presea who said nothing and did nothing but stare across the bridge. Zelos cleared his throat slightly.

"Well, little one?"

Presea made absolutely no indication she heard him, let alone say anything in response, causing Zelos to roll his eyes.

"She's such a socialite. Never stops talking."

The sarcasm was impossible to miss as they all looked towards the other end of the bridge which was well out of sight before they set off, sticking to the middle as the others who were using the bridge parted for them, or more correctly, Zelos. As the group quickly left the continent of Altimera behind, the Altimira gatehouse behind and the Fooji gatehouse at the other end slowly came into view. The group stopped at about half way where a number of benches were located for something to eat. Naruto looked over the railing at the sea to the north, narrowing his eyes as he focused his chakra to improve his vision, spotting a small island, far to the north surrounded by thundering clouds. What got his attention the most though was the huge tower in a natural alcove of mountains that took up most of the small island. The tower itself looked almost the splitting image of the Tower of Mana back on Sylvarant. What worried him was that it was being constantly blasted by powerful bolts of lightening and it seemed to cause no damage. Zelos came up to his side.

"Nice view, isn't it?"

Naruto nodded and pointed towards the tower.

"What's with that tower?"

Zelos blinked several times and looked towards where Naruto pointed.

"What tower? I don't see one…"

Naruto watched as a particularly powerful bolt blasted the roof of the tower.

"The one with the storm cloud above it, being constantly shocked by lightening."

Zelos blinked several more times in incomprehension before it clicked what Naruto was talking about.

"Wow, you can see that? Seriously, you've got good eyes… That's the tower where the Seal of Lightning is. Volt's supposed to watch over it."

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly as he let the chakra fade.

"Hmmm…"

Shrugging, he turned back and sat on the bench as he looked to Zelos.

"We might as well have something to eat."

Zelos smiled and sat down as Naruto pulled out one of his scrolls and opened it before activating the seal, a small cloud of smoke appearing before the sea breeze quickly blew it away. Zelos' eyes widened in surprise as there on the scroll sat a plate of food, various hams, cheeses, breads, vegetables and a few other things. The others grabbed a knife and began making their sandwiches. Zelos was still trying to fathom what had happened.

"Where did the food come from?"

Naruto took a bite out of his sandwich and chewed several times as he got ready to answer until Lloyd did it for him, but with his mouth full.

"Itsh weewy koool! Hew sheels shtuf andb ten-"

Lloyd stopped when he received a smack over the head with Raine's staff.

"Lloyd, what have I told you about talking with your mouth full?"

Lloyd said nothing as he swallowed.

"Sorry…"

Zelos just shook his head as Naruto finished and answered.

"It work similar to the cards and talismans Sheena uses. It works by carefully making a seal and then activating it with your mana. In this case, it was a storage stasis seal. All I had to do was release it when I needed it."

Zelos blinked several times.

"Sounds useful…"

Lloyd sat up and blinked several times as an idea came to him.

"Hey Naruto, would I be able to take a piece of paper and carve some runes on it and would it work?"

Naruto sighed as he took another bite, chewed and swallowed.

"Doubt it. Fuuinjutsu is not that simple."

Lloyd smiled widely at Naruto.

"Teach me! Pleeeeeeease!"

Naruto sweat dropped slightly.

"Hey hey, you haven't even mastered the control of your mana enough to use the Rasengan properly. How can you do something like this?"

Lloyd blinked several times before grumbling and sitting back down as Zelos finished making his own sandwich and began eating. Naruto simply shrugged.

"If this weren't such a crowded area, I'd say give it a bit of training since we've been unable to for a while, but there are just too many people around."

Raine nodded.

"The chances of harming someone while trying to master that spell is simply too high. Lloyd, do it later."

Grumbling, Lloyd sat down and continued eating the sandwich. Once they had finished, Naruto packed the things back up in another scroll and they continued on, finally drawing close enough to the Fooji continent to see the dense forest and mountain range that covered over half the continent. However, what caught there eye was a single city, no where near as grand or well planed as Meltokio, but stunning none the less. Zelos smiled slightly.

"That's the Academic City, Sybak."

Presea's eyes widened slightly as they walked towards it and into the gates of the city, however, Presea stopped.

"I hate… This city… Hurry… To Ozette…"

Genis shook his head.

"Sorry Presea, we'll be quick, ok?"

Naruto nodded.

"I'll make a clone to wait with you outside, ok?"

Naruto did so as both the clone and Presea made their way back out of the city to wait for the others to finish their business in Sybak. The group turned towards Zelos who nodded slowly.

"We need to head for the Imperial Research Academy. They're expecting us, so let's get going."

Following Zelos the group proceeded to the largest building in the town and stepped inside. What they saw amazed them. Walls upon walls of book, documents, manuscripts, letters and more. In the middle were various age old relics, sculptures and pottery. Hanging in the air was the skeleton of an animal they had never seen. It was a flying creature, but beyond that, they had no idea. Zelos smiled.

"That's the skeleton of a creature we call a Dinosaur."

Lloyd let his head fall to the side.

"Dino… Saur?"

Zelos nodded.

"Yeah. This is the only complete one we've found so far, but they were supposed to live a long time ago, about one hundred and fifty million years ago, I think they said."

Raine's eyes widened in shock before she looked at the skeleton in what could only be described as hunger.

"FASCINATING!"

She ran up to the plaque that described it, her loud voice attracting more than one person's attention as Zelos sighed.

"This is the Academy, meaning people are studying. Try and keep it down, Raine…"

Nodding, she went back to reading the plaque as one of the staff of the Academy approached them, bowing to Zelos.

"Chosen, we've been expecting you. Please come this way."

Zelos smiled as the group followed him through the corridors.

"We've been briefed on the situation, so we've gathered everything we know about the Cruxis Crystal."

Nodding, Zelos and the group followed him.

"I see. Show us the way then."

The staff member nodded and proceeded towards a door which he opened.

"This way, please."

Once inside, the group saw books piled up everywhere, a trio of people inside frantically looking through books. They stopped as the door opened and the group walked in, bowing and taking their leave. The one who led them there stood behind the desk and looked over a written report.

"After going over Colette's symptoms, we referred to the data gathered from the Chosen's Cruxis Crystal."

Zelos smirked slightly.

"So, my crystal was useful. When Colette returns to normal, I'll need to make sure she thanks me generously."

Everyone stared at Zelos nonplussed as hearts appeared in his eyes and he began giggling perversely. The screen activating in front of the researcher brought them back to the task at hand, revealing a blue clear sphere that showed a greatly magnified Exsphere.

"Cruxis Crystals are thought to be evolved forms of Exspheres. Both Cruxis Crystals and Exspheres are lifeless beings."

Raine's eyes widened.

"WHAT!?"

Lloyd's face scrunched up in concentration.

"Life… Less what?"

Naruto shook his head.

"No, that makes sense. Think about what Kvar said in the Asgard Ranch."

Raine's eyes widened in surprise as she remembered.

"Kvar said that 'Exspheres are dormant at first and require nourishment to grow and awaken'… So that's what he meant…"

The researcher nodded.

"Exactly. While they may extract the life force of their victim host, they themselves are still not alive in the same sense we are, yet they have something akin to emotion sensing capabilities. It's difficult to classify whether they themselves are actually conscious or not, so we refer to them simply as lifeless beings. However, in order to turn from an effectively useless chunk of stone into an Exsphere, they require a person's life force. In draining it, they are effectively a parasite, causing the person's mana to go out of control without a key crest."

Genis saw what he meant.

"So that's why people turn into monsters without a key crest…"

The researcher nodded.

"Exactly. And since Cruxis Crystals are evolved forms of Exspheres, the method used to stop the parasitic siphoning of a person's life force is essentially the same. However, since Cruxis Crystals are also more evolved forms of Exspheres, the key crest needed to stop the parasitic merging and siphoning needs to be more powerful."

Raine looked back to Colette.

"So you think that the effects Colette is suffering now are a parasitic invasion by the Cruxis Crystal?"

Again, he nodded, combing a strand of his blond hair behind his ear.

"Exactly."

Raine put her chin in her palm as she thought about it.

"So then the act of releasing the seals was a ritual to promote the parasitic infusion of the Cruxis Crystal to Colette? Fascinating…"

Lloyd stared at the Professor reproachfully.

"Professor, don't talk about Colette that way, especially after what has happened…"

Zelos smiled slightly.

"So all we need to do is make her a key crest for the Cruxis Crystal?"

The researcher nodded.

"Yes. With an appropriate key crest, she could control the Cruxis Crystal freely."

Lloyd sighed in relief.

"A key crest, huh? I wonder if we can find one around here?"

Zelos shrugged and turned towards the door.

"Only one way to find out!"

Raine bowed to the researcher.

"Thank you for your help."

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"No, it's alright."

The group left and walked out of the Academy and walked back into town, seeing most of the buildings, they really had no clue where to start. Zelos shrugged slightly.

"We might as well start looking, I guess."

After pointing several buildings that might have one or give them a clue, the group split up. Zelos walked towards the Academy Library while the others started going towards the other ones he pointed out. Left alone, Lloyd began wandering through the student markets where all sorts of student goods were being sold. As he continued, not seeing anything remotely of use, he came upon a store that seemed to simply be a brick-a-brack store, many different and unusual things. Stopping to take a look, Lloyd's eyes were immediately drawn to something.

"A key crest!"

The man selling it looked at it then back at Lloyd.

"You want this piece of junk?"

Lloyd nodded.

"Yeah. How much?"

The man looked back at him blandly.

"Ten thousand Gald."

Lloyd sweat dropped.

"What? It's not worth any where near that much! And you're taking advantage of someone in need…"

"Take it or leave it. This is a business, after all."

From the back of the crowd, Zelos came up and stared at the man.

"Alright, call out the one responsible for this Bazaar right now. I'll make sure he can't do business anymore."

The man glared at Zelos.

"Who are you?"

Zelso returned the glare straight back at him.

"You've got some guts to be ignorant of the great Zelos, the Chosen."

The epitome of 'oh shit' looks dawned on the man's face as he realised exactly who he was speaking to, the other shoppers and shop keepers looking at the spectacle unfolding.

"The Chosen? Please, take this piece of junk… Uh, I mean I humbly offer this up to you, so please forgive me!"

Zelos smiled as he took it from the man's hand just as the rest of the group came up behind them.

"Good, good. I like your attitude. I'll remember you."

The man laughed nervously as the group left. Zelos chucked it to Lloyd who smiled.

"Thanks, Zelos."

The red head shrugged.

"Don't mention it. It was all for my cute little Colette."

The group let out a collective groan as Zelos looked at Colette, hearts appearing over his head. Lloyd turned back to the key crest in the palm of his hand and smiled slightly.

"Alright. I'll borrow a lab and fix it."

The group returned to the Academy, still drawing the stares of everyone around them. At the door, they found the researcher they had talked to earlier discussing something with a student. As they finished, Lloyd approached him.

"Sorry to bother you, but can I borrow a lab?"

The man looked at Lloyd like he was an imbecile until Zelos spoke.

"He wants to make a key crest."

The man's eyes widened before nodding.

"Oh, Chosen! Please make use of the room you were in earlier!"

Lloyd was beginning to get annoyed with the reactions he got but as soon as Zelos asked it, it was another matter entirely. However, they walked back to the room they had been in and Lloyd reached into his belt bag and pulled out a few implements before turning to the others.

"I'll make it here, so please give me a little space."

Nodding, everyone left the room as Lloyd got to work, gently scarping the excess junk off it before he began reshaping it with practiced ease to size. Holding it up to the light, he looked over it before he nodded in satisfaction and began carving the runes upon the underside and inner rim of it that would make it work. After just under an hour, he'd finished it, holding it up to the light and grumbling slightly. The door opened and Naruto came in and whistled.

"Wow, not bad Lloyd. I was coming in to see if you wanted something to eat."

Lloyd shook his head.

"I'm fine."

Turning around, he showed it to Naruto.

"The ore was already badly damaged, so this is the best I can do…"

Naruto gently took it and looked over it before smiling as he gave it back.

"I'm sure it'll work. It wouldn't surprise me if the effort you put into this fixed the problem with Colette before the key crest itself did."

Lloyd's eyes widened slightly.

"You think so?"

Naruto nodded as they walked out the door.

"One of my sensei said that being a genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration."

Lloyd leant his head to the side.

"Perspiration? A genius' brain sweats?"

Naruto laughed out loud, shaking his head.

"I asked exactly the same thing when I first heard it. What it means is that even if you are a Genius like Genis or Raine, unless you do something with it, you might as well not have it. Since you've got that ninety nine percent of pure hard work covered, I think that'll reach Colette quicker than some ornate key crest made by someone who just didn't care or put any backbone into it."

Lloyd smiled as he closed his hand around the key crest gently.

"Thanks, Naruto."

"No worries. Let's go see if it works."

After making their way to the front the group stood by with bated breath as Lloyd looked at Colette sadly.

"I didn't think I'd be giving you a birthday present like this… I've attached a key crest to your necklace. It's late, but it's my present to you…"

Lloyd gently hung it around her neck as the group waited with baited breath to see Colette return to normal.

And they waited.

After nearly a minute, Colette made no indication that she was even remotely back to her normal self. Lloyd turned around and shook his head.

"It doesn't seem to be working…"

Raine shook her head.

"Can we ask Dirk for help?"

Genis shook his head.

"He's in Sylvarant and the Rheairds are out of fuel…"

Naruto said nothing, his eyes narrowed as Lloyd looked around the Academy.

"Maybe the people here might know of a way…"

Zelos shook his head.

"Hey hey hey! Wait just a second! Aren't you forgetting something?"

They turned to look at him.

"I'm here to keep tabs on you! I can't let you go back to Sylvarant!"

Lloyd glared at him, a slight smirk touching the corner of his lips.

"Well then why don't you come with us, oh compassionate chosen one?"

Zelos shook his head madly.

"What, are you serious?"

Raine smiled slightly as she put on her best 'professional innocent girl' tone.

"You're kind to girls, right?"

Genis nodded.

"It's for Colette, isn't it? You can keep it quiet for her sake, can't you?"

Zelos grumbled slightly before sighing and hanging his head in defeat.

"Great, how am I supposed to snitch after hearing that?"

Naruto nodded.

"Then all we need is the fuel and we-"

They stopped as they were surrounded by Papal Knights.

"Zelos, we heard what you said just now. We hereby declare you and your companions traitors attempting to destroy Tethe'alla."

Zelos smirked slightly.

"Well that was perfect timing, Mr. Papal Knight."

The knight remained motionless as the others surrounded the group.

"It's by the Pope's orders. We are to watch you for suspicions of plotting against the throne."

Zelos laughed lightly.

"Now that's amusing. _**I'm**_ the one plotting against the throne?"

The Knight said nothing as he looked to the others.

"Restrain them and take a sample. Don't touch the angel. If you approach her carelessly, she'll kill you. Disable the mana of the blond man. He can use powerful magics."

The Knights quickly charged the group and held them while others inserted syringe needles and took a blood sample into a small palm machine. Lloyd growled as his was taken.

"Ouch! What are you idiots doing!?"

Zelos said nothing.

"All criminals must undergo biological testing before they're arrested. It's because of the caste system here. Some half-elves look no different than humans."

Another restrained Naruto and slammed a device into his stomach that began quickly draining all of his mana, making him scream in pain. Lloyd tried to make his way towards Naruto who was on the ground shivering in pain as his chakra continued to be leeched, making the leader shake his head.

"How much does he have!?"

The two that were restraining the professor and Genis looked up at the main one.

"S… Sir! We've found a match!"

The main one glared at Genis and Raine in shock.

"So, you're half-elves!?"

Zelos turned to them.

"Half-elves? Is that true?"

Genis hung his head but Raine remained motionless as she spoke.

"That's right."

Genis looked at her horrified.

"Sis!"

Raine shook her head.

"There's no point in trying to hide it now, Genis…"

Raine brushed aside her hair to reveal half-elven ears, shocking everyone present.

The leader of the Knights growled in contempt at them.

"These pathetic half-elves have engaged in shameless caste deception."

Lloyd struggled against the guard that held him.

"What did you say!? Genis and the professor are much better people than you are! Who cares if they're half-elves!?"

Most of the people in the academy looked at Lloyd in horror. Zelos turned to him and spoke softly.

"I don't know what it's like in your world, but in Tehte'alla, half-elves are at the bottom of the caste system."

The leader of the Papal Knights spoke again, citing the law.

"All half-elves guilty of criminal activity shall be executed without exception."

Lloyd's eyes widened as he made a desperate lunge for the leader, breaking free of the guard's restraining hold on him and charging towards the leader who in a quick practiced movement, drew his pike and slammed the butt end into Lloyd's stomach, knocking him unconscious where he stood. He looked back up at the other guards.

"Change of plans. Half-elves can use magic so put them under heavy guard."

One turned back and shook his head.

"We don't have any more forces in this area, Sir…"

Nodding, the leader assessed his options.

"Take them to Tethe'alla Bridge. We'll call for additional escort once we're there. Take them away."

The leader looked back at the others.

"As for the Chosen and his cohorts… Lock them in the basement or something."

They dragged the rest of them towards the basement, kicking open the door and hurling them inside, standing guard over the door. Inside were three researches. The female, a slim woman with turquoise hair and glasses turned around.

"Who's there!?"

The leader glared at her.

"Don't talk to us, half-elf. Be quiet and continue your work."

The researcher with them looked in contempt at her.

"They are criminals. Hold them here until we return for them."

They left, slamming the door behind it and locking it. The woman shook her head.

"Criminals? If you've had the good fortune of being born human, don't throw it away like that."

Lloyd glared at her.

"We haven't done anything!"

Lloyd leant down and tried to pull the device off Naruto, who only cried more from the pain until Zelos walked up and picked up a small dagger he had hidden in his belt and slashed it open, making it drop off Naruto, shrugging as he walked to and leaned against the wall.

"Well you did try and go back to Sylvarant…"

Lloyd said nothing as he looked at Naruto who was still on the floor, sweating and panting heavily as he sat upright.

"S… Shut up, Zelos…"

What they didn't notice until that point was that Presea had been caught too, as they heard her stifle a cry and back up against the wall.

"Get… Away!"

Her eyes widened.

"…Presea? You're Presea!? Why are you here!?"

Lloyd looked back at her.

"You know Presea?"

The woman said nothing for a moment

"I… Ah… She's…"

Zelos looked between them and raised an eyebrow.

"A half-elf in the Imperial Research Academy is acquainted with a human child? That's rare…"

Lloyd looked back to him as Naruto slowly stood up.

"Why?"

"I told you. Half-elves are treated like garbage in this world. The half-elves here in the Imperial Research Academy never leave their labs. Ever."

"That's horrible!"

Naruto, who by this point had recovered enough to speak too a few steps forward, looking at Zelos.

"You took that device off me, didn't you?"

Zelos nodded slowly.

"Thanks."

Looking at the group, he shook his head.

"I'm ok. That thing just drained most of my mana…"

Looking back at the woman, Zelos' eyes narrowed.

"Let's leave that aside for now. How does a half elf who never left her lab know a human child?"

The woman looked back at Presea as she spoke.

"This child was my team's research sample."

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"What kind of research?"

"Research to manufacture a Cruxis Crystal inside the human body."

Lloyd's eyes widened.

"You can make Cruxis Crystals?"

Nodding the woman looked back at Presea.

"Theoretically, Cruxis Crystals are no different from Exspheres. By allowing them to slowly feed on a human body-"

"W… What!? That's the same way the Desians made Exspheres!"

She clearly didn't understand what Lloyd was getting at.

"W… What?"

"I'm saying how can you treat people that way!?"

Adjusting her glasses, she looked at Lloyd dead on.

"How can you humans treat half elf lives the way you do?"

"I treat them exactly the same as everyone else. A life is a life, that's all I care about!"

'_He's a strange one. He was born on Sylvarant.'_

They looked around as a cloud of smoke appeared to reveal Corrine who bit the cords around Lloyd's arms off before doing the same for the Naruto and Zelos before Sheena appeared.

"He was raised with half elves and a dwarf."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Sheena!"

Nodding to Naruto, Sheena smiled.

"I said we'd meet again. Right now though, Genis and Raine are being taken to Meltokio. If we leave now, we should be able to catch them!"

The woman looked at Sheena.

"Are you planning on running away?"

Sheena looked her dead in the eye, daring her to do what she was implying.

"Are you going to try and stop us?"

Zelos sighed and looked at her.

"He's going to save his half elf best friend. What are you going to do, Miss half elf?"

She shook her head.

"I'm not letting you deceive me. There's no way a human would save a half elf."

One of her assistants shook his head.

"But Kate, I did hear they arrested two half elves up above…"

Naruto shook his head as he took the solider pill Sheena offered him, munching on it and swallowing as he felt chakra begin to flood his system again.

"We don't have time. We either get to them by going passed you or through you. Take your pick."

Kate said nothing for a moment before closing her eyes.

"Fine, but only if you promise to come back here after you save your half elf friends. If what you said is true, I'll release Presea from her experiments."

Lloyd looked at her hopefully.

"You swear?"

Kate nodded.

"On the name of the Goddess Martel."

Nodding they followed her to a cabinet.

"Behind here is a secret passage with a doorway that leads to the outside near the front of the Research Academy."

Proceeding to the bookcase next to it, Kate pulled out a book before pressing the wooden backboard when they heard a click and the cabinet slid sidewards to reveal a secret alcove with a ladder leading upwards. Lloyd nodded as the group stood by it.

"Thanks."

Zelos looked at Kate in suspicion.

"By whose orders were the experiments carried out on Presea by?"

Kate looked to the ground.

"I… Can't say."

Zelos sighed slightly.

"The Pope then…"

Kate said nothing until Sheena looked at Zelos.

"Come on! We can still make it!"

Zelos nodded and they headed towards the ladder before making it to the surface and saw that there were still people in the main area. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"We can't go through there. We'll have to dive off the back docks and swim to shore."

Nodding, the rest of them jumped into the water, Zelos the last to go.

"Well, I suppose I've got nothing to lose…"

Diving in straight after them, they quickly swam around Sybak without being spotted before they pulled themselves up on land, sprinting towards the Tehte'alla bridge full tilt. Naruto looked at the water's edge before calling over his shoulder.

"Sheena. This bridge is a drawbridge, right?"

She nodded.

"Yeah. If they raise it on us…"

Naruto 'tsk'ed as the option of splitting up and having Undine take some of them across the ocean to pincer the guards vanished, but another one popped up, making him sigh.

"I have an idea. I'm going to summon a frog…"

Zelos' eyes widened.

"Frog? How do you summon a frog?"

Presea voiced the only concern with that problem.

"Amphibious creatures known as frogs cannot survive in a saltwater environment."

Naruto nodded, biting his thumb.

"I know, we don't have an option though."

Quickly forming the hand seals, he announced his technique.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

The cloud of smoke that appeared was huge, easily dwarfing the guardhouse and control mechanisms of the bridge. Naruto sighed slightly as he looked up at his old friend.

"Oi, boss down here!"

Gamabunta looked down and glared at Naruto.

"**Oi, Naruto what is the meaning of this? Why have you summoned me here?"**

Naruto pointed at the bridge.

"We don't have a lot of time! My friends are being taken across this bridge to be executed, and it's a draw bridge! We need to stop them!"

Gamabunta sighed and looked at the ocean.

"**Fine, but only because I owe you a favour. Get on."**

Naruto smiled, creating a group of clones which all used Henge, transforming themselves into a member of the group besides one. Nodding, the clones began crossing the bridge in order to ensure they didn't turn back.

"Thanks, boss."

Naruto looked at Sheena and they both nodded, jumping quickly on top followed by Presea. Lloyd and Zelos just stared in disbelief.

"It's… It's huge…"

"I've never seen a frog anywhere near that big, and it can talk…"

Lloyd shook his head and reminded himself of what was going on, jumping quickly up and running up onto his back and resting on his head, Colette brought her wings out and flew on top while Zelos sighed as Gamabunta looked at him.

"**If you don't get on, I'm leaving you behind!"**

Zelos sweat dropped and jumped on, and once they were there, Gamabunta took one last draw of his pipe.

"**Hang on tight, here we go!"**

The others were floored by the initial changes in inertia while Naruto continued standing up, much to everyone else's shock. Keeping an eye out for Genis and Raine as well as the guards escorting them as they passed, slowly the others sat up and began looking as well. Soon enough, they spotted them near the other side of the bridge and sure enough, the draw bridge began to raise just as the clones reached it, desperately trying to make a jump to reach the other side, but none of them did and plummeted to their doom in the waters far below, dispelling on impact from their terminal velocity. Gamabunta jumped quickly onto land and looked at Naruto.

"**Dammit, my skin is blistering… Now we're even, Naruto. Later."**

With that Gamabunta exploded into smoke and Naruto nodded as Lloyd drew his swords, his eyes narrowing.

"Let's get them! If we move now, we can trap them up against the raised bridge!"

No one disagreed and they sprinted off towards the bridge just as it finished raising. They arrived just as the Papal Knights took the last stair down from the bridge, smirking at them. Zelos smiled sweetly at them.

"Caught between a rock and a hard place, Mr Papal Knight?"

Lloyd drew his weapons.

"Give us back our friends!"

The guards looked at them in shock.

"Dammit, how did you not only escape, but beat us here!? And how did you survive the fall!?"

Smirking, Naruto drew his lance.

"The ones who fell didn't survive. They were simply clones, nothing but a bit of mana. The rest you don't need to know."

The first guard readied his pike.

"So you came over on that giant frog…"

Sheena smirked, drawing her cards.

"At least one of you isn't complete stupid."

The groups charged each other, quickly finding that their weapons had great difficulty penetrating the Knights thick armour. Zelos jumped back and began charging his spell while Presea drew her massive battle axe and began taking swings at them, slicing clean through one of their pikes, Lloyd keeping another two at bay as did Naruto.

"Ready for this? Thunder Blade!"

A blade of pure electricity fell down, right through the helm of one of the knights as Naruto, Lloyd and Presea jumped back as the Blade exploded, frying the Knight inside the armour, his heavy suit only amplifying the damage. Charging in, they quickly locked two of them before Naruto smashed both of their pikes away while Sheena freed both Genis and Raine who took the weapons back from the guards behind them that Colette had effortlessly killed when they approached her and ran to join the fight. Zelos had singled out another guard and was unleashing a brutal sword combo on him, finishing up with a few well placed attacks to the Knight's chest.

"Lightening Blade! Super Lightning Blade!"

The Knight was shocked and fried with two bolts of lightening, the second far larger than the first as Naruto jumped back, forming a clone and quickly making a Rasengan.

"Eat this! Rasengan!"

The battle stopped as the attack hit, the guard's screaming barely heard above the roaring winds as it ate through his armour and blew him away, smashing through several lamp posts before rolling off the side of the bridge and into the water below, well and truly dead before he hit and sunk to the bottom in his heavy armour. The three remaining guards looked at Naruto in shock.

"What the hell was that!?"

Zelos whistled in appreciation at the damage it had caused.

"That's one seriously mean spell…"

Naruto pulled his lance back into a ready position as Sheena got behind them, slamming her fingers into the small neck joints that were exposed while they looked down at Naruto, slamming her fingers into their necks, killing two of them instantly while Zelos took his chance, kicking the heavily armoured Knight onto his back and putting his sword to his throat.

"Thanks for making me look sooooo good."

With that, the guard knew he was beat and looked to the side.

"I submit…"

Taking his boot off the guards chest, Zelos turned around an smirked.

"I rule, I'm sooooo cool!"

The others stared at him sceptically as the guard struggled to sit up, but failed because of his suit of armour.

"Oi, don't tell me you're going to leave me here! I'll bake!"

Zelos looked over his shoulder debating whether or not to help him until Naruto came up and hauled him up, quickly switching to restrain his hands.

"Don't get any ideas or I'll use the Rasengan on you next."

Any 'ideas' that may once have been forming were quashed immediately as the Knight nodded.

"S… Sure…"

Genis smiled.

"Everyone, you saved us!"

Raine nodded slightly.

"You came to rescue us…"

Lloyd nodded.

"Of course! You're our friends!"

Genis didn't completely believe it.

"But we're half elves…"

Naruto shrugged.

"And I've got blond hair."

Genis turned to look at Naruto questioningly.

"What's that got to do with it?"

Naruto smirked.

"Exactly; nothing at all. People who abandon their orders are trash. People who abandon their friends are far lower than that."

Lloyd nodded in agreement. Raine looked to Sheena and Zelos.

"What about the Tethe'alla part of the group? Do you mind us travelling with you?"

Sheena smirked slightly, looking at them.

"I'm from Mizuho. I'm not exactly mainstream either, so we're not that different."

Zelos sighed.

"To be bluntly truthful, I can't say I'm really kosher with this… Then again, as the Chosen, people have always treated me differently saying I'm a descendant of Angels, so in that way we're a lot a like."

Presea just stared into the distance.

"I… Just want to go home…"

Raine looked at Naruto.

"Naruto, although your contract to protect Colette is essentially finished, would you mind?"

Naruto snorted.

"Come on Raine, I thought you knew me better than that by now. It's not like someone with my history and background can really turn around and say no without being a complete hypocrite. I've still gotta find a way home at some point, and having yours and Genin's brains trust on the team is definitely not something we can just replace. Besides, you two are our primary healer and magic user."

Raine and Genis smiled slightly.

"I see… alright then."

Genis looked back at Sheena.

"By the way, why is Sheena here?"

Sheena's eyes hardened slightly.

"I have orders from my chief. I'm supposed to observe your activities."

Zelos snorted.

"That's typical of Mizuho. They're trying to decide if they should side with the King or you guys."

Genis rolled his eyes.

"Great, so now we have two people keeping tabs on us."

Sheena shook her head in disagreement.

"But I'm not hurting you or getting in your way or anything, so… so…"

Raine nodded slightly.

"We know that. You're an honest person, Sheena. Perhaps to a fault."

Lloyd smiled warmly.

"At this point, I'm ok with anything. Now, we just need Naruto or Sheena to form a pact with Volt and we can get those Rheairds working."

Naruto's eyes narrowed while Sheena's eyes widened in fear.

"VOLT?"

Both Naruto and Sheena looked at each other for an explanation, Naruto going first.

"While we were going to Sybak, I saw a tower far to the North. Zelos said it was the Seal of Lightning that Volt watches over."

They looked to Sheena who shook her head.

"Uh, it's… Nothing…"

Zelos looked towards the north before looking back at the group.

"Shouldn't we go and get the Rheairds first? Either way, the Seal of Lightning is only accessible from the other side of the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge and considering how irritable Naruto's frog buddy sounded, I doubt he'd do that again, so we might as well go and pick them up."

Lloyd stared at Zelos disbelievingly.

"'Pick up'? How exactly do you plan to move those things?"

Zelos laughed light heartedly.

"Juuust leave that to me. I prepared a secret weapon just in case something like this happened."

Genis stared at Zelos mistrustfully.

"What secret weapon?"

Zelos' smile now threatened to split his face apart it was so wide.

"Wouldn't be any fun if I spoiled it, would I? So let's get going! To the Fooji Mountains!"

Zelos began walking off towards the mountain as Lloyd hung his head in defeat.

"I can't believe we're going to have to climb that mountain again…"

Nevertheless, they set off towards the Fooji Moutains where the Rheairds were hopefully still laying. Although they were few and far between compared to Sylvarant, monsters appeared once in a while which the group defeated easily. Regardless, both Sheena and Zelos were rattled by their appearance.

"Sheena, why are monsters appearing in Tethe'alla? We're still the flourishing world, right?"

Shrugging slightly, Sheena stared down at the corpse of the latest one that had appeared.

"Maybe because the regeneration ritual on Sylvarant was so close to being finished they began appearing over here."

Zelos looked at her disbelievingly.

"So, even though it didn't finish, Cruxis still has the power to do that? That's hard to believe…"

Raine sighed as she blasted one that was still twitching to put it out of its misery.

"Remember, Crixus' leader, Yggdrasil essentially created two entire worlds. Something like this shouldn't require much more than a thought…"

Zelos looked back at Naruto who was just finishing cleaning his lance's blade before resealing it, smiling slightly as he looked back at Raine.

"You've got a point there…"

The group continued towards the Fooji Mountains, all wondering what Zelos' 'secret weapon' for moving the Rheairds was.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Somewhere On Another World:**

Within the dark dank confines of a cavern stood a giant ten eyed statue, both hands raised. Atop each finger was either a rainbow shimmering figure or a black cloaked person. Billowing forth from the statue's mouth were several streams of blue chakra, all of them meeting and eating away at a young man with long black hair tied back into a pony tail. His muted screams of pain only served to make the job of this ceremony easier as from his eyes, nose and mouth came a black chakra, mixed with tinges of green and purple, the strange chakra being drawn towards the mouth of the ghastly statue from where the blue chakra originated. However, the man gave one final spasm and the chakra stopped, both seeping from him and the blue chakra eating at him as it dropped him unceremoniously onto the floor, dead. On the statue, of its ten eyes three remained pupiless. However, one of them slowly gained a pupil, leaving only two, one in the very centre the other right next to it. The statue's mouth closed as the tendrils of blue chakra retreated back into its mouth. The figure on one of the fingers opened his eyes.

"_Excellent. With this, all Bijuu in this world are under our command. Itachi."_

One of the men next to him turned to look at him silently and coolly.

"_Is the Soul Gate ready?"_

Itachi said nothing, closing his eyes.

"_We've got the number of souls needed. We just need everyone to gather and open it."_

The first man smirked.

"_Excellent. Everyone is to gather at the designated location and prepare for a full scale invasion of the other worlds. Soon, all Bijuu will be controlled by us and our true plans will commence. Dismissed."_

With that, the rainbow haze figures crackled and vanished, the last two staring at each other before jumping off the statue as it exploded into smoke.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Back on Tethe'alla:**

Night had fallen and the group had made their camp for the evening in a small protected alcove at the base of the mountain they were going to climb the next day. Dinner had been a short, but light hearted affair with Naruto standing guard for the first shift, Sheena agreeing to take the next, and Lloyd the final shift with Colette being sleepless acting as a full night sentry. As the hours passed, only a few stray creatures and a monster needing a kunai to remind them not to try their luck, Naruto's shift was over as Sheena walked over to him and sat down.

"You might as well get some sleep. Who knows what might happen."

Naruto shrugged.

"I don't mind. Hell, night watch is always more fun if you've got someone else with you."

Sheena smirked and took her seat.

"Yeah."

Naruto reached down to his plate of food he'd been slowly eating to help pass the time for another bite only to find that his hand met nothing but grass. Making several attempts to grab it and failing, he looked down to see that his plate was as his hand had told him, not there. Looking back up, he saw Sheena with plate in hand, munching on a sandwich. Naruto glared at her as she smiled at him.

"Gotta keep watch of your food or someone will take it when you're not looking."

Naruto made a grab at it, only to have Sheena move it out of the way. Naruto however, began to slip off his perch on a small rock and flailed madly as he fell on top of Sheena, both of them landing, thankfully quietly on a patch of long grass, Naruto on top of Sheena as he sweat dropped.

"Well this is an… Awkward position…"

Sheena debated whether or not to simply smack him or just tell him to get off but he grinned sheepishly and got off her.

"Ah ha ha ha, Sorry… Sheena-Chan…"

Both of them stopped at the suffix Naruto had attached to her name, and judging by Naruto's reaction to it as well, unknowingly. Sheena said nothing but sat up, turning her nose in the air somewhat haughtily.

"Fine, but you still ruined the food…"

She glared at the plate on the ground next to them, the sandwiches spread over the ground, making Naruto scratch the back of his head.

"Well, you did kinda steal it from me in the first place…"

She glared at Naruto, but said nothing, smirking both of them sat back up on the rock and continued their watch, thanking whatever god was watching over them that no one else had woken up during the minor scuffle.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Several Hours Later:**

Lloyd slowly awoke as Noishe gently nudged him with his nose, waking up slowly, Lloyd sat up and rubbed his eyes before looking at Noishe.

"What's up, Noishe?"

Noishe looked towards the shift candle that had burnt out only moments ago, the last traces of smoke still billowing forth from the last stub of the wick. Lloyd smiled and gently rubbed his faithful companion's cheek.

"Thanks for waking me up, buddy. Go and get some sleep."

Noishe gave him a gently lick on the cheek, making Lloyd chuckle as he stood up and walked quietly out of the little alcove they had set up camp in, making sure not to wake anyone, however, he noticed that both Naruto an Sheena's sleeping bags were empty. His hands went to his swords as he carefully walked out of the camp, looking carefully around the corner seeing Naruto and Sheena sitting together on a rock and looking out across the plain. Smiling he walked around the corner and let go of his swords.

"Naruto, why are you still up?"

Both looked at Lloyd who came over and stood underneath them.

"Eh, I didn't exactly feel like sleeping. That and watch is more fun when you've got someone with you."

Lloyd's eyes widened as he jumped up the rock and landed behind them.

"So you did two shifts, Naruto?"

He nodded and stood up, as did Sheena.

"Yeah. Anyway, the last shift's yours. Have fun."

Lloyd grumbled and wiped the sleep from his eyes as he sat down, Sheena smiling at him.

"Wake us if something happens."

Nodding Lloyd crossed his legs and looked up at the sky before he called out to them.

"Um, where's Colette?"

Sheena stopped and looked up at Lloyd before pointing just passed his head.

"There."

Lloyd turned to see Colette gazing out across the plain vacantly from another larger rock nearby, making Lloyd sigh seeing she was still unaffected by his key crest.

"Alright, sleep well."

Both nodded and headed back to the camp leaving Lloyd to finish the last watch by himself, both crawling into their sleeping bags and trying to get a little rest before their hike up the Fooji Mountains tomorrow, secretly agitated to see what Zelos' so called 'secret weapon' really was.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**A/N:** Sorry for the late chapter. I really wanted to do the mountain hike and summit scene but I didn't want to make this chapter that long. Take care, everyone.

-Specula/Synica.


	15. Dear Readers

Dear readers,

I'm sure you can guess what this is about, and for those of you who haven't, I'm putting up my pen, or authoring on this site as you will, for good. No, it's not because I hate you guys and want to coat you all in molten lead because you're all horrible people and a lousy audience nor is it because I'm too busy in real life.

I think my time has come to move on. I'm a lofty spirit who never drops his anchor in any one port for a great deal of time, and this includes the port known as Fanfiction. The pattern in this particular part of my life seems to be that I'll stay in one area I like for a while, leave and then make a very brief reappearance later and then leave soon after, pretty much for good. I've been here for a while, left, come back for a bit and now it's time for me to move on for good.

I know this is going to annoy a lot of people to high hell and back, so send me all your hatemail or rants or thanks or whatever, sorry ladies and gents, but I'm exiting stage left.

Hopefully, my stories have at least entertained a fair few people. I'll still answer PMs occasionally, however if you ask me something along the lines of 'are you ever coming back?' your reply will be…

gentle breeze and crickets

In other words, none because I'm not there anymore. Anyway, I'll still come here to read, but my time in writing here is done.

My stories, complete or not will still be up here, but if there's an update to them, I seriously doubt it's mine and I have to find out how someone got my account name and password…

I suppose I should impart some final words of wisdom or something…

Always take the road less travelled, for in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity, so why not go out on a limb? That's where all the fruit is.

Take care folks and happy writing and reading!

-Specula-Synica.

EDIT: I forgot to add something pretty important: If you want to try and adopt the stories and go your way with them, go for it. A few people have asked to continue them, and many want them continued so go for it. Just don't say the story idea and all of it's yours and whatnot, or I will have to hunt you down with sharp, pointy objects. There will be stabbity death, and not the good sort either. You will not like it.

Also, thanks in advance for you reviews and PMs. I may not respond to them, but I will read them, hateful or otherwise.


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